Colin Firth & Helen Mirren Join 'Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' Sequel December 3, 2012 Source: Showbiz 411

by Ethan Anderton

On Halloween this year, news surfaced that Fox Searchlight had greenlit a sequel to their surprisingly successful adaptation of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (based on Deborah Maggoch's novel These Foolish Things) from Shakespeare in Love director John Madden. All appropriate cast members are returning from the original (watch the film to find out what that means), and now Showbiz 411 (via The Film Stage) has word that Helen Mirren and Colin Firth are in talks to join Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Dev Patel and Bill Nighy for the sequel. Also, it seems Madden will return with writer Ol Parker for the sequel.


READ MORE: http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/colin-firth-helen-mirren-join-best-exotic-marigold-hotel-sequel/

EXCLUSIVE: Colin Firth Will Join “Exotic Marigold” Sequel 12/02/12 2:10pm Roger Friedman (SHOWBIZ 411)

Exclusive: The most popular home run of a film this year before Oscar season got into full swing? John Madden’s “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” The film is certainly a contender for Best Picture in Oscar world, one that could easily be in the top ten. It made a fortune here and abroad with stars Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel, and Bill Nighy leading an enchanting cast.

Now I’m told that a sequel is in the works. My sources say that both Helen Mirren and Colin Firth are likely additions to the cast. Also, they say that director John Madden and writer Ol Parker are looking for an American actress possibly to round out the cast. My vote is  for Jane Fonda, but no one asked me. The search is on!


READ MORE: http://www.showbiz411.com/2012/12/02/helen-mirren-colin-firth-will-join-exotic-marigold-sequel

How Judi Dench and an 8-Year-Old Won the Summer By TIM NEWCOMB | @tdnewcomb | August 27, 2012 | (TIME)

Amid the onslaught of franchises, superheroes and fantasy adventures that dominated the 2012 summer box office (see Richard Corliss’ complete summer box office coverage), independent films carved out their own lucrative corner of the global box office, turning relatively modest investments into massive payouts.

In terms of raw receipts, the most profitable indie of the season turned out to be the British comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, starring Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson, which converted a $10 million budget into at least $131 million worldwide (and more than $45 million in the U.S. alone).


Marigold Hotel director John Madden used the star-power of Dame Dench and her supporting cast of seniors to tell the story of an aging group of Europeans looking to retire at a luxurious India hotel. By opening the film—an obvious draw for the older set—just as younger moviegoers clamored to get into The Avengers, Marigold Hotel offered a timely alternative to a key demographic.

“Timing is always a big thing with independent films,” Jeff Bock, a box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations, tells TIME. “Reviews are huge for films like this. It helps sustain a film and grow in the marketplace. If the per-theater average holds strong, you’ll get a wider release from the weeks to come.”



Read more: http://entertainment.time.com/2012/08/27/box-office-winners-films-exotic-marigold-hotel/

Jeff Daniels of Newsroom: 'The American public is failing at its job of staying informed,' says The Newsroom star Jeff Daniels The Newsroom creator Aaron Sorkin sacks 'writing staff for season two' By DAILY MAIL REPORTER PUBLISHED: 11:18 EST, 20 July 2012 | UPDATED: 11:47 EST, 20 July 2012 DAILY MAIL

The Newsroom's Jeff Daniels has giving a stinging assessment of America's attitude to important current affairs.

The 57-year-old actor plays the anchorman in the new HBO Aaron Sorkin drama series.

He told CBS News today: 'I think there are many [messages on the show.] However, one of them, specific to that, is that I don’t think we’re informed anymore as a country.'


'I think we have the attention span of a gnat. You know, with cell phones and Twitter.... we don’t know as much as we need to know.'

The controversial show, dubbed a 'lefty gas-cloud' by Fox News, has been a lightning rod for conservative critics since it debuted June 24.

He continued: 'Especially in a presidential election, when there’s a lot more marketing of political candidates going on than actual stances on issues, it seems.

'I think the American electorate should work a little harder at getting informed. That includes hearing, truly listening, to what the other side is saying. Whether you’re left or right....start paying attention.'


The series, which chronicles the behind-the-scenes events at the fictional Atlantis Cable News channel, also stars Sam Waterston and British actors Emily Mortimer and Dev Patel.



Read more:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2176552/Newsroom-star-Jeff-Daniels-The-American-public-failing-job-staying-informed.html

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Scores Strong Debut in US By Stacey Yount (BOLLY SPICE)

He called it his super hero movie and it seems that John Madden’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel did very well opening opposite the superhero movie The Avengers. The all-star dramedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel starring Judi Dench and Dev Patel generated a strong opening in North America as it debuted in limited release with an estimated $750,000 from only 27 theaters for a per-theater average of $27,789 – second best among all films after The Avengers. Set in Rajasthan and directed by the Oscar-nominated filmmaker John Madden (Shakespeare in Love), the international hit film played to packed houses in a dozen major cities in the U.S. and Canada and will now expand to additional cities on May 11 and beyond. Hotel ranks among the Top 15 at the North American box office, despite other films playing in thousands of theaters, and has won critical acclaim with Roger Ebert calling it “a charming, funny and heartwarming movie.”






READ MORE:  http://bollyspice.com/42283/the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel-scores-strong-debut-in-us

Movie review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (NZ Herald)

By Peter Calder

It's easy to forgive the formulaic predictability of a film that is discharged with as much flair as this India-set rom-com loosely based on Deborah Moggach's 2004 novel These Foolish Things.

Completely contrived but utterly delightful, it's the story of seven British pensioners who independently retire to Rajasthan ("It's like the Costa del Sol ... with elephants," explains one) when they find their late-life finances a bit short. Director Madden (Shakespeare in Love) delivers an opening series of crisp vignettes that give the characters' back-stories while offering a pointed commentary on life in modern Britain. But once the sexagenarian band lands in Udaipur, the hotel becomes the stage set for a mild farce rich in poignant moments.


Stars: 4/5
Cast: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel
Director: John Madden
Running time: 124 mins
Rating: PG (coarse language, sexual references)
Verdict: Utterly contrived, completely delightful




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCOHe8z1l2o&feature=player_embedded


Read further:  http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10792547

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Film Review (THE UNIVERSITY OBSERVER)

In a Nutshell: A delightfully charming film that is both satisfyingly feel-good and heartbreakingly poignant, although undermined by unnecessary stereotyping.Contributed by Sara Holbrook on Thursday, 1 March 2012

Director: John Madden
Starring: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel Release Date: Out now

Set in India and directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opens with a bleak outlook on retired life in England for a star-studded cast including Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson and Maggie Smith.

The characters decide to abandon their otherwise comfortable lives for India, where Sonny, played by Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), runs ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ – an apparently first class and lavish hotel suitable for elderly people.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is, at times, hilarious as well as heartbreakingly sad as the stories of the eclectic group of OAPs unfold. The multitude of characters would seem to make the film confusing, but a few characters soon begin to become prominent.

While Judi Dench (Quantum of Solace) is the narrator (and her story is central to the film), it is Tom Wilkinson’s (Michael Clayton) role that really stands out. His character, Graham, grew up in India and has now returned to track down the man with whom he had a love affair almost forty years ago.

Wilkinson’s brilliantly convincing portrayal as both an eminent judge and a man in love leaves you constantly willing his story to return to the screen.

Read more:  http://www.universityobserver.ie/2012/03/01/film-review-the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel/

Judi Dench, Maggie Smith: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Review (FEMALE FIRST)

Starring: Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton, Dev Patel Director: John Madden Rating: 3.5/5

When you see Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Maggie Smith & Penelope Wilton all on the same cast list you know you are in for a movie treat. For a disparate group of English pensioners (Dench, Nighy, Smith, Wilkinson, Wilton, Imrie and Pickup), retirement takes an unconventional turn when they abandon their homeland, enticed by advertisements for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a seemingly luxurious sanctuary for 'the elderly and beautiful' in Jaipur, India.

On arrival, they discover that the hotel falls somewhat short of the romantic idyll promised in the brochure. But they are gradually won over by the ever-optimistic young manager Sonny (Patel), and tentatively embark on a new adventure, finding that life can begin again when you let go of the past This is such a super charming movie that is not just about old age but it’s about accepting the past, having faith as well as self-forgiveness.

This is a whimsical look at getting older and Dench, Nighy and co are on fine comic as well as emotional form - there is a real life affirming feel to this movie that you cannot help but get swept away with. This is an intelligent, funny and poignant script that doesn’t tackle lightly the fears of growing old, being marginalised and being lonely.


Read more:  http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/reviews/The+Best+Exotic+Marigold+Hotel-229676.html

Judi Dench felt a powerful connection for India (FILM NEWS)

(Cover) - EN Movies - Dame Judi Dench felt a “very powerful connection” to India when shooting her new movie, claims the director. The actress portrays Evelyn in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, about a group of ageing brits who travel to India. Evelyn has just been widowed and decides the trip will help shake up her life. 

The journey was just as important for Judi, says the movie’s director John Madden. “Judi was very, very affected by the place. She felt a very, very powerful connection to it I think and I think will maintain that connection. I think everybody was very affected by it, you can’t not be,” he told Cover Media. The movie also includes performances by Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith, Celia Imrie and Penelope Wilton.


Read more:  http://www.film-news.co.uk/show-news.asp?H=Judi-Dench-%C3%ABconnected%C3%AD-to-India&nItemID=9933

‘Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ London Premiere (INDIA WEST)

Hollywood actors Dame Judi Dench and Dev Patel brought a taste of colorful India during the world premiere of the film “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” here Feb. 7.

 The movie, directed by John Madden, is about British retirees who move to India and reside in a hotel full of surprises. “Slumdog Millionaire” actor Patel stars as Sonny, a man who encourages the retirees to be adventurous.


Read more:  http://www.indiawest.com/news/3143--best-exotic-marigold-hotel-london-premiere.html

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel wins over the crowd at Glasgow Film Festival (STV)

Review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a feel-good British comedy that offers plenty to entertain both the golden oldies and younger film fans.

 By Greig Gallagher 19 February 2012 08:24 GMT

 Although the terms ‘British’ and ‘feel-good’ might seem kind of contradictory, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel manages to be both of these things at once. 

From Shakespeare In Love director John Madden comes a heart-warming tale of a group of pension-age Brits who leave the grey landscape of broken Britain behind for the sun-drenched utopia (or so they hope) that is India.

 Madden brings together an impressive cast of British talent to represent a motley crew of grey-haired eccentrics. The larger than life characters soon find themselves entwined in one another’s lives.

 The likes of Ronald Pickup’s sex-obsessed geriatric Norman offer a constant supply of belly-laughs while characters like Judi Dench’s recently bereaved Evelyn give the film a poignant dramatic feel. Considering the age of the main characters, the film does deal with issues which are probably most relevant to the older demographic. 

Big questions about death, loss, health and marriage are addressed as well as tipping a light-hearted nod to the more intrinsically comic side-effects of old age: technophobia, dealing with ageism, sexuality and hip-replacements.


Read the entire review:  http://entertainment.stv.tv/film/298053-the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel-wins-over-the-crowd-at-glasgow-film-festival/

Judi Dench, Maggie Smith: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel review (Den of Geek)

Ryan Lambie

Judi Dench leads a starry British cast in John Madden’s comedy drama, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Here’s Ryan’s review of a pleasant, undemanding film…  Published on Feb 16, 2012

 The filmmakers of the British Isles excel at making very specific types of film: horror flicks, realistic dramas and feel-good romantic comedies. With a name like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and featuring a glittering ensemble of the UK’s finest actors of a certain age, you can probably guess which category the subject of this review falls into.

 Displaying a similar lightness of tone as dependable British hits such as Love Actually and Four Weddings And A Funeral, Marigold Hotel is a pleasant, easy-going evening’s entertainment that delivers everything you could rightly expect of it. There are laughs. Arguments. Romance. A little bit of tragedy, a smattering of pathos, a sprinkling of poignancy. It’s undemanding and a tad predictable, but there’s nothing wrong with that – especially when the dialogue is as sparky as it often is here.

Overall, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a perfectly watchable example of the kind of comedy drama fluff we British seem to make so well. It deals with potentially heavy topics – the onset of old age, past regrets, death – with a light touch (though it makes no mention of what fate awaits the elderly of Jaipur, who aren't blessed with the engorged bank balances of the film's WASP characters), and its predictable plot is elevated by a decent script, an engaging location and, most of all, a great cast.

 The film also deserves extra points for working in what appears to be an oblique reference to Rocky IV (“If she dies, she dies,” someone says) – now there’s something you don’t see in a British comedy drama very often.


Read the entire review:  http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/1247538/the_best_exotic_marigold_hotel_review.html

Judi Dench on the Graham Norton show 2/11/12

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Premiere (SF Gate)

Joel Ryan / AP

British actors, from left, Dev Patel, Celia Imrie,Tom Wilkinson, Diana Hardcastle, Bill Nighy, Dame Judi Dench, and Director John Madden, arrive for the World Premiere of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel at a Mayfair cinema in London, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012.

LONDON, United Kingdom (AP) --

Dame Judi Dench and Dev Patel brought an Indian adventure to a chilly London with the world premiere Tuesday of their new film, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel."

The movie, directed by John Madden, sees a group of retirement age Brits move to India to see out their elderly years in colorful Jaipur. Patel, of "Slumdog Millionaire" fame, plays the guy who entices them to take the adventure.

Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton were also among the cast out on the red carpet for the event at the Curzon Mayfair in London.

"I had to ride a motorcycle through the streets of Jaipur with Judi Dench on the back, which was very, very freaky because I have never done it before and my whole thing became 'Don't kill Judi Dench," Nigh joked.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/02/07/entertainment/e090435S95.DTL#ixzz1lnuk9VbE

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL New Poster and Stills (We Are Movie Geeks)

Fox Searchlight’s THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL has released a new poster, as well as stills and WAMG has them for you! Starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, and Dev Patel, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL will check into theaters March 4th, 2012.

Synopsis:

THE BESTEXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL follows a group of British retirees who decide to “outsource” their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self. Though the new environment is less luxurious than imagined, they are forever transformed by their shared experiences, discovering that life and love can begin again when you let go of the past.

From the director of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, John Madden, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL will be in theaters this Spring, March 2012.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Visit the film’s official website: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thebestexoticmarigoldhotel/.
“Like” the film on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/marigoldhotel
Twitter: @foxsearchlight


http://wearemoviegeeks.com/2012/01/the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel-new-poster-and-stills/

Maggie Smith, Judi Dench: TRAILER: Find yourself at THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (Very Aware)

Courtney HowardJanuary 9, 20121

Are you suffering from a case of the everyday, average, and boring blahs?! Well, come take a trip to THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL. Ok, ok. This is not a real place. But for a few hours – and even now for just a few minutes with the debut of the film’s trailer – you can take a mental break there.

Here’s the official synopsis:

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (dir. John Madden, starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson and Dev Patel) follows a group of British retirees who decide to “outsource” their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self. Though the new environment is less luxurious than imagined, they are forever transformed by their shared experiences, discovering that life and love can begin again when you let go of the past.

It’s the coming-of-a-certain-age mixed with a fish-out-of-water story. And usually those are the most heartwarming and charming ones. But don’t just take our word for it. Check out the trailer below. Be sure to start out your summer movie watching season right by seeing the film due in select theaters on May 4.

 http://veryaware.com/2012/01/trailer-find-yourself-at-the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel/

Happy Belated 77th, Judi Dench. Fancy a stay at the Marigold Hotel?

By Bill Young ⋅ December 12, 2011

Tellyspotting

 

With apologies to the great Judi Dench, we’d like to take a moment and wish her a very happy belated birthday. Turning 77 on Friday, 9 December, the brilliant actress has done nothing but give theatre goers, film lovers and situation comedy fans, worldwide, birthday presents every year since her first professional stage appearance in 1957 with the Old Vic Theatre Company, at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, as Ophelia in Hamlet.

Showing absolutely no signs or desire to begin to take some down time, Dame Judi Dench played a part in nine films in 2011 that are all in various stages of pre-production, post-reduction or release. Next up, with a March 2012 scheduled in both the U.S. and the UK, is The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown), the film also stars a line-up of a who’s who in British acting, both young and old, including Dench, Bill Nighy (Page Eight), Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey, Harry Potter), Tom Wilkinson (Full Monty, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol), Ramona Marquez (Outnumbered) and Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire).

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel tells the story of British retirees who travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Less luxurious than its advertisements, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways. How can it not with this ridiculously brilliant cast. Can’t wait.

A very, very happy belated birthday, Dame Judi Dench.

 http://tellyspotting.org/2011/12/12/happy-belated-77th-judi-dench-fancy-a-stay-at-the-marigold-hotel/