Charles Collier, co-founder of UK agency Tavistock Wood, has exited the company to set up London-based Chalcot Square Management.
Longterm clients to join him at the company for representation out of the UK include Rebecca Ferguson, Eva Green, Freddie Fox, Brock Norman Brock, Ronan Bennett and Oliver Hirschbiegel. Former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger is also among the company’s clients.
Among Collier’s long-term Tavistock Wood clients not currently listed for representation on Chalcot’s website are Alicia Vikander and Lily James. Both continue to be repped by UTA.
Chalcot, which also comprises lawyer Cornelius Medvei and agent Eleanor Johnson, will also produce, provide legal consultancy and branding services.
The website states: “We are a management company, talent agency and production hub, representing actors, directors, producers and writers…We represent creators across arts and media in all sectors of the industry. We provide bespoke personal management, strategic advice, legal consultancy,...
Longterm clients to join him at the company for representation out of the UK include Rebecca Ferguson, Eva Green, Freddie Fox, Brock Norman Brock, Ronan Bennett and Oliver Hirschbiegel. Former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger is also among the company’s clients.
Among Collier’s long-term Tavistock Wood clients not currently listed for representation on Chalcot’s website are Alicia Vikander and Lily James. Both continue to be repped by UTA.
Chalcot, which also comprises lawyer Cornelius Medvei and agent Eleanor Johnson, will also produce, provide legal consultancy and branding services.
The website states: “We are a management company, talent agency and production hub, representing actors, directors, producers and writers…We represent creators across arts and media in all sectors of the industry. We provide bespoke personal management, strategic advice, legal consultancy,...
- 1/17/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Nadine Dorries was telling the truth when she accused BBC board member Robbie Gibb of meddling in a key appointment at the UK broadcaster’s regulator, Ofcom.
That’s the verdict of a source who worked closely with Dorries during her time as culture secretary in the year to September 2022. This person told Deadline that Gibb “campaigned” for his preferred candidate to become Ofcom chair.
It is the latest twist in a media row that has slowly gathered momentum in the UK after Dorries made allegations about Gibb’s interference in the Ofcom recruitment process in her book The Plot.
Dorries was responsible for hiring the next chair of Ofcom and narrowed the field to Lord Grade, a former BBC and ITV executive, and Lord Gilbert, a Conservative peer who served as an election strategist to former prime minister Theresa May.
Dorries’ preferred candidate was Grade, but she alleged...
That’s the verdict of a source who worked closely with Dorries during her time as culture secretary in the year to September 2022. This person told Deadline that Gibb “campaigned” for his preferred candidate to become Ofcom chair.
It is the latest twist in a media row that has slowly gathered momentum in the UK after Dorries made allegations about Gibb’s interference in the Ofcom recruitment process in her book The Plot.
Dorries was responsible for hiring the next chair of Ofcom and narrowed the field to Lord Grade, a former BBC and ITV executive, and Lord Gilbert, a Conservative peer who served as an election strategist to former prime minister Theresa May.
Dorries’ preferred candidate was Grade, but she alleged...
- 12/14/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
This week the Guardian’s film critic presented his shortlist of 2017’s most awards-worthy movies, directors and actors. Here, he talks to arts editor Liese Spencer about the realities of reviewing, the worst thing he’s watched, and getting it wrong …
The Braddies 2017: Peter Bradshaw nominates his films of the year
Q: How did you become a film reviewer?
A: Weirdly, I’d never reviewed a film before I came to the Guardian. I read English at Cambridge in the 1980s when there was no such thing as film studies (the subject was frowned on the way English was frowned on in the era when studying classics was the only respectable thing). In the 90s I was a general Europhile columnist and journalist on the London Evening Standard writing about books, politics, TV … almost anything but cinema. Then I had a footnote in journalistic history when I became the...
The Braddies 2017: Peter Bradshaw nominates his films of the year
Q: How did you become a film reviewer?
A: Weirdly, I’d never reviewed a film before I came to the Guardian. I read English at Cambridge in the 1980s when there was no such thing as film studies (the subject was frowned on the way English was frowned on in the era when studying classics was the only respectable thing). In the 90s I was a general Europhile columnist and journalist on the London Evening Standard writing about books, politics, TV … almost anything but cinema. Then I had a footnote in journalistic history when I became the...
- 12/9/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw and Liese Spencer
- The Guardian - Film News
The life and times of whistleblower Edward Snowden are the subject of Oliver Stone’s new drama. Here’s our review of Snowden...
Is Edward Snowden a patriot or traitor? Ever since the former CIA employee managed to disclose thousands of intelligence files in 2013, he's remained a controversial figure; to some, he's endangered national security in the Us and elsewhere, while to others, he's justifiably brought the mass surveillance of billions of citizens to the world's attention.
Director Oliver Stone makes no secret of which side of the argument he comes down on, and Snowden depicts its subject as a kind of modern folk hero: a whistleblower willing to sacrifice his comfortable lifestyle and even his safety to hold the Us government to account. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the perfect choice to play Snowden: initially a 20-something who's invalided out of the army after injuring his legs and displays an...
Is Edward Snowden a patriot or traitor? Ever since the former CIA employee managed to disclose thousands of intelligence files in 2013, he's remained a controversial figure; to some, he's endangered national security in the Us and elsewhere, while to others, he's justifiably brought the mass surveillance of billions of citizens to the world's attention.
Director Oliver Stone makes no secret of which side of the argument he comes down on, and Snowden depicts its subject as a kind of modern folk hero: a whistleblower willing to sacrifice his comfortable lifestyle and even his safety to hold the Us government to account. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the perfect choice to play Snowden: initially a 20-something who's invalided out of the army after injuring his legs and displays an...
- 10/14/2016
- Den of Geek
Emma Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch are both taking on a very different role. Both actors have been appointed as visiting fellows at Lady Margaret Hall by Oxford University, The Guardian reports. According to the report, Watson, 25, and Cumberbatch, 39, will have a duties which are supposed to enrich the cultural life of the university. "At a minimum, we'd like them to drop in occasionally at college, eat with us and meet informally with a variety of the Lmh community," Alan Rusbridger, the college's principal told the website. "We'd like them to do one thing a bit more structured. It could be a conversation or debate,...
- 2/6/2016
- by Naja Rayne, @najarayne
- PEOPLE.com
Veteran journalist was formerly editor in chief for the Chicago Reader
Mara Shalhoup was named the new editor of the L.A. Weekly on Monday. The veteran journalist, who served as the editor in chief for the Chicago Reader since 2011, will assume her new duties on Feb. 16.
This comes months after weekly publication’s outgoing editor Sarah Fenske had accepted a position at Feast Magazine in October.
Prior to joining the L.A. Weekly, Shalhoup spent years as an investigative reporter and a decade editing Creative Loafing in Atlanta. In 2010 St. Martin’s Press also published her book “Bmf: The...
Mara Shalhoup was named the new editor of the L.A. Weekly on Monday. The veteran journalist, who served as the editor in chief for the Chicago Reader since 2011, will assume her new duties on Feb. 16.
This comes months after weekly publication’s outgoing editor Sarah Fenske had accepted a position at Feast Magazine in October.
Prior to joining the L.A. Weekly, Shalhoup spent years as an investigative reporter and a decade editing Creative Loafing in Atlanta. In 2010 St. Martin’s Press also published her book “Bmf: The...
- 1/19/2015
- by Travis Reilly
- The Wrap
Benedict Cumberbatch is everywhere. He's got no fewer than three films coming out between now and the end of the year, with Oscar-tipped biopic The Imitation Game in cinemas now, and The Penguins of Madagascar and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies imminent.
After months of speculation surrounding the casting of Marvel's next superhero Doctor Strange, fresh reports have emerged linking Cumberbatch to the coveted role, although nothing has yet been confirmed. There's also the small matter of his recent engagement, which was announced in a characteristically classy manner earlier this month.
It would be easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Cumberexposure. But fear not – Digital Spy's handy A-z guide is here to fill in the gaps in your knowledge.
A is for Alan Turing
In what's being widely heralded as the performance that will earn him his first Oscar nomination come January, Cumberbatch...
After months of speculation surrounding the casting of Marvel's next superhero Doctor Strange, fresh reports have emerged linking Cumberbatch to the coveted role, although nothing has yet been confirmed. There's also the small matter of his recent engagement, which was announced in a characteristically classy manner earlier this month.
It would be easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Cumberexposure. But fear not – Digital Spy's handy A-z guide is here to fill in the gaps in your knowledge.
A is for Alan Turing
In what's being widely heralded as the performance that will earn him his first Oscar nomination come January, Cumberbatch...
- 11/15/2014
- Digital Spy
Benedict Cumberbatch is everywhere. He's got no fewer than three films coming out between now and the end of the year, with Oscar-tipped biopic The Imitation Game in cinemas now, and The Penguins of Madagascar and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies imminent.
After months of speculation surrounding the casting of Marvel's next superhero Doctor Strange, fresh reports have emerged linking Cumberbatch to the coveted role, although nothing has yet been confirmed. There's also the small matter of his recent engagement, which was announced in a characteristically classy manner earlier this month.
It would be easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Cumberexposure. But fear not – Digital Spy's handy A-z guide is here to fill in the gaps in your knowledge.
A is for Alan Turing
In what's being widely heralded as the performance that will earn him his first Oscar nomination come January, Cumberbatch...
After months of speculation surrounding the casting of Marvel's next superhero Doctor Strange, fresh reports have emerged linking Cumberbatch to the coveted role, although nothing has yet been confirmed. There's also the small matter of his recent engagement, which was announced in a characteristically classy manner earlier this month.
It would be easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Cumberexposure. But fear not – Digital Spy's handy A-z guide is here to fill in the gaps in your knowledge.
A is for Alan Turing
In what's being widely heralded as the performance that will earn him his first Oscar nomination come January, Cumberbatch...
- 11/15/2014
- Digital Spy
It looks like Oliver Stone plans on using several books as sources for his screenplay about American cybergeek-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden. In addition to Anaoly Kucherena's novel, Stone and producing partner Moritz Borman last week nabbed the rights to "The Snowden Files, The Inside Story of the World’s Most Wanted Man," by Luke Harding, a journalist at the UK's Guardian newspaper. Stone is currently at work on the screenplay, and Borman is fast-tracking the a European co-production to bring the film to theaters. Interestingly, it sounds like The Guardian itself (and not just Harding) is connected to Stone's film, although it's not entirely clear in what capacity. Last week, Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger told Variety: "The story of Edward Snowden is truly extraordinary, and the unprecedented revelations he brought to light have forever transformed our understanding of, and relationship with, government and technology. We’re...
- 6/10/2014
- by Jacob Combs
- Thompson on Hollywood
Alex's series looking back at the film careers of actors who've played the Doctor finishes with Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi...
Feature
Read the previous part in this series: the film careers of Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, here.
By 2009, the new version of Doctor Who had become not only an integral part of Saturday night television and a huge Christmas ratings winner but also an international success all over again. David Tennant, who had played the Time Lord since 2005 and was, arguably, more popular than any Doctor since the mighty Tom Baker hung up his scarf in 1981, had announced his resignation from the part he loved in October 2008. Many wondered how the incoming showrunner, Steven Moffat, would follow Tennant and what kind of show would emerge.
Tennant spent much of 2009 on stage in Hamlet and was only able to devote small amounts of time to Doctor Who. Occasional specials...
Feature
Read the previous part in this series: the film careers of Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, here.
By 2009, the new version of Doctor Who had become not only an integral part of Saturday night television and a huge Christmas ratings winner but also an international success all over again. David Tennant, who had played the Time Lord since 2005 and was, arguably, more popular than any Doctor since the mighty Tom Baker hung up his scarf in 1981, had announced his resignation from the part he loved in October 2008. Many wondered how the incoming showrunner, Steven Moffat, would follow Tennant and what kind of show would emerge.
Tennant spent much of 2009 on stage in Hamlet and was only able to devote small amounts of time to Doctor Who. Occasional specials...
- 6/4/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Oliver Stone is tackling a hot-button topic with his latest project. The Oscar-winning filmmaker is planning a film about exiled Nsa leaker Edward Snowden, according to Deadline, after purchasing the rights to the book "The Snowden Files: The Inside Story Of The World’s Most Wanted Man" by Guardian journalist Luke Harding. Harding and other Guardian reporters who worked on the Snowden story will serve as consultants on the film. “This is one of the greatest stories of our time,” said Stone in a statement. “A real challenge. I’m glad to have the Guardian working with us.” Echoed Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger: “The story of Edward Snowden is truly extraordinary, and the unprecedented revelations he brought to light have forever transformed our understanding of, and relationship with, government and technology. We’re delighted to be working with Oliver Stone and [Stone's producing partner] Moritz Borman on the film.” There's no word...
- 6/2/2014
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
Like a moth to the flame, Oliver Stone never met a politically-tinged story he wasn't drawn to. The JFK and World Trade Center director has signed on to bring the controversial story of National Security whistleblower Edward Snowden to the big screen.
According to The Guardian, Stone will be adapting the film as a thriller from The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man- which was written by the outlet's very own Luke Harding. "This is one of the greatest stories of our time," the director said in a statement. "A real challenge. I'm glad to have the Guardian working with us." Indeed, it is a boon to the production to have The Guardian's participation, since they're the ones that broke the original story. Snowden was a contractor of the the Us's National Security Agency who leaked thousands of documents that caused a global uproar over the government's intrusive,...
According to The Guardian, Stone will be adapting the film as a thriller from The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man- which was written by the outlet's very own Luke Harding. "This is one of the greatest stories of our time," the director said in a statement. "A real challenge. I'm glad to have the Guardian working with us." Indeed, it is a boon to the production to have The Guardian's participation, since they're the ones that broke the original story. Snowden was a contractor of the the Us's National Security Agency who leaked thousands of documents that caused a global uproar over the government's intrusive,...
- 6/2/2014
- by Mario-Francisco Robles
- LRMonline.com
Last September it was Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way that was eying a movie based on controversial whistleblower Edward Snowden and then last month Sony Pictures acquired the rights to Glenn Greenwald's book "No Place To Hide: Edward Snowden, The Nsa, And The U.S. Surveillance State" recounting the Pulitzer Prize winner's ten-day trip to Hong Kong and interview with Snowden. No word on what's going on with either of those two movies, but Oliver Stone has found his own source material to adapt, that being Luke Harding's book "The Snowden Files, The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man with Stone already working on the screenplay and producer Moritz Borman fast-tracking it as a European co-production to start filming before the end of the year. amz asin="B00I1ZKA56" size="small"Harding, like Greenwald, is also a reporter at The Guardian and here's how...
- 6/2/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Nsa whistleblower Edward Snowden has dominated the media since June of last year, when he leaked thousands of classified documents to various outlets in what has been described as one of the most significant leaks in U.S. history since Daniel Ellsberg released the Pentagon Papers. Naturally, multiple studios are chomping at the bit to turn Snowden’s compelling story into an equally compelling (and hopefully lucrative) movie. Now, one is taking shape with JFK director Oliver Stone at the helm.
Moritz Borman, a frequent collaborator of Stone’s, is producing an adaptation of Luke Harding’s The Snowden Files, an account of the Nsa leaks and Snowden’s subsequent experiences. Harding, a writer for British newspaper The Guardian, and other journalists from that same publication, which worked closely with Snowden to release a lot of the leaked information, will be serving as production and story consultants on the film.
Moritz Borman, a frequent collaborator of Stone’s, is producing an adaptation of Luke Harding’s The Snowden Files, an account of the Nsa leaks and Snowden’s subsequent experiences. Harding, a writer for British newspaper The Guardian, and other journalists from that same publication, which worked closely with Snowden to release a lot of the leaked information, will be serving as production and story consultants on the film.
- 6/2/2014
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
Joshua Oppenheimer's study of 1960s Indonesian death squads wins best film, beating Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave
The Act of Killing has taken the top prize at the inaugural Guardian Film Awards.
Joshua Oppenheimer's surreal study of the Indonesian death squads of the 1960s was nominated in three fields – best director, biggest game-changer and best film.
It triumphed in best film over the Oscar winners 12 Years a Slave and Gravity, as well as two other foreign language films, The Great Beauty and Blue is the Warmest Colour.
Oppenheimer said of the recognition: "Artistically, it's a far more meaningful award to me than an Oscar."
The film – voted best film of 2013 by Guardian critics, and seventh best of the year by Guardian readers – was also strongly championed by the two external judges, Claudia Winkleman and Adam Curtis; the former calling it "one of the best films I've ever seen...
The Act of Killing has taken the top prize at the inaugural Guardian Film Awards.
Joshua Oppenheimer's surreal study of the Indonesian death squads of the 1960s was nominated in three fields – best director, biggest game-changer and best film.
It triumphed in best film over the Oscar winners 12 Years a Slave and Gravity, as well as two other foreign language films, The Great Beauty and Blue is the Warmest Colour.
Oppenheimer said of the recognition: "Artistically, it's a far more meaningful award to me than an Oscar."
The film – voted best film of 2013 by Guardian critics, and seventh best of the year by Guardian readers – was also strongly championed by the two external judges, Claudia Winkleman and Adam Curtis; the former calling it "one of the best films I've ever seen...
- 3/7/2014
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Ian Hislop's opening line last night when announcing the annual Paul Foot awards won loud laughs and applause.
"We are here to remember sacked and persecuted journalists across the world," he said. "I am thinking, of course, of Piers Morgan".
There was a lot of funny follow-up Morgan material from the Private Eye editor before he referred to Hugh Grant's post-Leveson inquiry organisation as "Knocked Up", offering due apologies to Hacked Off's amused director, Brian Cathcart.
On the serious business of the awards themselves, the top prize went to David Cohen, the London Evening Standard reporter who has distinguished himself and his paper over the past couple of years with two brilliant campaigns, one about the dispossessed and the other about criminal gangs in the capital.
It was the gang campaign that won him the award. Cohen not only managed to win the trust of gang members to...
"We are here to remember sacked and persecuted journalists across the world," he said. "I am thinking, of course, of Piers Morgan".
There was a lot of funny follow-up Morgan material from the Private Eye editor before he referred to Hugh Grant's post-Leveson inquiry organisation as "Knocked Up", offering due apologies to Hacked Off's amused director, Brian Cathcart.
On the serious business of the awards themselves, the top prize went to David Cohen, the London Evening Standard reporter who has distinguished himself and his paper over the past couple of years with two brilliant campaigns, one about the dispossessed and the other about criminal gangs in the capital.
It was the gang campaign that won him the award. Cohen not only managed to win the trust of gang members to...
- 2/26/2014
- by Roy Greenslade
- The Guardian - Film News
Oscar favourites mingle with little-known movies on the reader-voted shortlist for the Guardian Film Awards
Its Oscar prospects may be looking shakier following Gravity's triumphant haul at Sunday's Baftas, but 12 Years a Slave does dominate the shortlist for the Guardian Film Awards. Steve McQueen's slavery drama has converted every one of its longlist mentions into a place among the final five in each category, meaning it's in the running for best film, best director, best scene, best line of dialogue and biggest game-changer. It also scores two nominations in the best supporting actor group - for Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong'o.
The Guardian Film Awards, currently in their inaugural year, differ from traditional awards ceremonies both in criteria and eligibility. The best director and best film categories are open to fact, fiction and foreign language, while the best actor and best supporting actor categories follow Guardian style in referring...
Its Oscar prospects may be looking shakier following Gravity's triumphant haul at Sunday's Baftas, but 12 Years a Slave does dominate the shortlist for the Guardian Film Awards. Steve McQueen's slavery drama has converted every one of its longlist mentions into a place among the final five in each category, meaning it's in the running for best film, best director, best scene, best line of dialogue and biggest game-changer. It also scores two nominations in the best supporting actor group - for Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong'o.
The Guardian Film Awards, currently in their inaugural year, differ from traditional awards ceremonies both in criteria and eligibility. The best director and best film categories are open to fact, fiction and foreign language, while the best actor and best supporting actor categories follow Guardian style in referring...
- 2/19/2014
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Last week we launched the inaugural Guardian Film Awards. Starting this week, we take a closer look at the longlist in each category. Today: the best picture nominees
• Vote now
The Guardian Film Awards were launched last week. Their aim: to act as an antidote to the usual slate of ceremonies. Their method: to cook up slightly different categories, and to involve readers in the voting.
A brief recap, for those who missed last week's story. We've launched longlists of 10 nominees in each category. We want you to vote for your favourite in each - and the top five reader choices will form our shortlist. Voting ends at noon GMT on 16 February and we'll reveal the shortlists three days later.
The top reader choice in each category will also count for the casting vote when the judges (Claudia Winkleman and Adam Curtis, plus Alan Rusbridger, Peter Bradshaw, Xan Brooks and...
• Vote now
The Guardian Film Awards were launched last week. Their aim: to act as an antidote to the usual slate of ceremonies. Their method: to cook up slightly different categories, and to involve readers in the voting.
A brief recap, for those who missed last week's story. We've launched longlists of 10 nominees in each category. We want you to vote for your favourite in each - and the top five reader choices will form our shortlist. Voting ends at noon GMT on 16 February and we'll reveal the shortlists three days later.
The top reader choice in each category will also count for the casting vote when the judges (Claudia Winkleman and Adam Curtis, plus Alan Rusbridger, Peter Bradshaw, Xan Brooks and...
- 1/21/2014
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
• 12 Years a Slave takes eight nominations in the inaugural longlist, but there's also recognition for The Selfish Giant, Wadjda, Alan Partidge: Alpha Papa and many more
• Claudia Winkleman and Adam Curtis join Guardian staff and readers to vote for a set of awards that aim to act as antidote
Visit the official awards site
12 Years a Slave may have been just pipped to the post at this year's Oscar nominations, but there is consolation for Steve McQueen: his film dominates the longlist for the first ever Guardian Film Awards.
The awards, which aim to act as an antidote rather than an addition to the established slate of ceremonies, will be handed out at a winners-only event in London just after this year's Academy Awards. The awards reflect Guardian values in two ways: first in terms of categories - Best Actor, for instance, is open to both genders, reflecting Guardian...
• Claudia Winkleman and Adam Curtis join Guardian staff and readers to vote for a set of awards that aim to act as antidote
Visit the official awards site
12 Years a Slave may have been just pipped to the post at this year's Oscar nominations, but there is consolation for Steve McQueen: his film dominates the longlist for the first ever Guardian Film Awards.
The awards, which aim to act as an antidote rather than an addition to the established slate of ceremonies, will be handed out at a winners-only event in London just after this year's Academy Awards. The awards reflect Guardian values in two ways: first in terms of categories - Best Actor, for instance, is open to both genders, reflecting Guardian...
- 1/17/2014
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
The film about Julian Assange and WikiLeaks and, yes, the Guardian, has bombed at the box office. Even though it was stuffed with handsome talent
Age: About seven weeks.
Appearance: Don't know.
Why not? I haven't seen it.
Find me somebody who has. That won't be easy.
How come? What are we actually talking about here? It's a movie. Came out in October. Total flop. It cost DreamWorks $28m (£17.1m) to make, and Disney about the same again to market, but so far it's taken only $6m worldwide. According to Forbes, that means it's lost more money as a proportion of its production costs than any other major movie this year.
Oh. Is it a comedy about a hapless dad and the misfortunes that befall him as he buys a series of increasingly unreliable large family cars? No. That sounds quite good. This is about WikiLeaks. Journalism is said to be the fourth estate,...
Age: About seven weeks.
Appearance: Don't know.
Why not? I haven't seen it.
Find me somebody who has. That won't be easy.
How come? What are we actually talking about here? It's a movie. Came out in October. Total flop. It cost DreamWorks $28m (£17.1m) to make, and Disney about the same again to market, but so far it's taken only $6m worldwide. According to Forbes, that means it's lost more money as a proportion of its production costs than any other major movie this year.
Oh. Is it a comedy about a hapless dad and the misfortunes that befall him as he buys a series of increasingly unreliable large family cars? No. That sounds quite good. This is about WikiLeaks. Journalism is said to be the fourth estate,...
- 12/2/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Hilary Mantel, Jonathan Franzen, Mohsin Hamid, Ruth Rendell, Tom Stoppard, Malcolm Gladwell, Eleanor Catton and many more recommend the books that impressed them this year
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw (Fourth Estate) is a brilliant, sprawling, layered and unsentimental portrayal of contemporary China. It made me think and laugh. I also love Dave Eggers' The Circle (Hamish Hamilton), which is a sharp-eyed and funny satire about the obsession with "sharing" our lives through technology. It's convincing and a little creepy.
William Boyd
By strange coincidence two of the most intriguing art books I read this year had the word "Breakfast" in their titles. They were Breakfast with Lucian by Geordie Greig (Jonathan Cape) and Breakfast at Sotheby's by Philip Hook (Particular). Greig's fascinating, intimate biography of Lucian Freud was a revelation. Every question I had about Freud – from the aesthetic to the intrusively gossipy – was...
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw (Fourth Estate) is a brilliant, sprawling, layered and unsentimental portrayal of contemporary China. It made me think and laugh. I also love Dave Eggers' The Circle (Hamish Hamilton), which is a sharp-eyed and funny satire about the obsession with "sharing" our lives through technology. It's convincing and a little creepy.
William Boyd
By strange coincidence two of the most intriguing art books I read this year had the word "Breakfast" in their titles. They were Breakfast with Lucian by Geordie Greig (Jonathan Cape) and Breakfast at Sotheby's by Philip Hook (Particular). Greig's fascinating, intimate biography of Lucian Freud was a revelation. Every question I had about Freud – from the aesthetic to the intrusively gossipy – was...
- 11/23/2013
- by Hilary Mantel, Jonathan Franzen, Mohsin Hamid, Tom Stoppard, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, William Boyd, Bill Bryson, Shami Chakrabarti, Sarah Churchwell, Antonia Fraser, Mark Haddon, Robert Harris, Max Hastings, Philip Hensher, Simon Hoggart, AM Homes, John Lanchester, Mark Lawson, Robert Macfarlane, Andrew Motion, Ian Rankin, Lionel Shriver, Helen Simpson, Colm Tóibín, Richard Ford, John Gray, David Kynaston, Penelope Lively, Pankaj Mishra, Blake Morrison, Susie Orbach
- The Guardian - Film News
Cinema takes liberties with the lives, work and reputations of real people – because that's what audiences ask for
We're being hit by a wave of films supposedly based on real life. Some are provoking complaints that they misrepresent what they claim to depict. The real Captain Phillips was anything but an all-American hero, according to some of his crewmen. The nuns vilified in Philomena say they neither sold babies nor burned adoption records. The Butler purports to be based on the life of a real manservant; however, the latter's mother wasn't raped, racists didn't murder his father and his son didn't die in Vietnam. Even Oscar frontrunner 12 Years a Slave has had its accuracy questioned.
Saving Mr Banks (out in a fortnight) presents another potentially painful case. The film shows Walt Disney prising the rights to the Mary Poppins books from their author, Pl Travers. In this version, her reluctance...
We're being hit by a wave of films supposedly based on real life. Some are provoking complaints that they misrepresent what they claim to depict. The real Captain Phillips was anything but an all-American hero, according to some of his crewmen. The nuns vilified in Philomena say they neither sold babies nor burned adoption records. The Butler purports to be based on the life of a real manservant; however, the latter's mother wasn't raped, racists didn't murder his father and his son didn't die in Vietnam. Even Oscar frontrunner 12 Years a Slave has had its accuracy questioned.
Saving Mr Banks (out in a fortnight) presents another potentially painful case. The film shows Walt Disney prising the rights to the Mary Poppins books from their author, Pl Travers. In this version, her reluctance...
- 11/15/2013
- by David Cox
- The Guardian - Film News
He's the tabloid whipping boy turned angel of vengeance; the TV comedian who's gone serious with his new film Philomena. At 48, Steve Coogan's career is going full tilt. So why does he have a massive chip on his shoulder, with 'mushy peas and a boat of gravy on the side'? Xan Brooks finds out
One rainy Friday in October, Steve Coogan takes a trip from the Lake District to an expensive part of London. He rolls into town a man in transit, still half-dressed for the country with a yellow tweed cap pulled down round his ears. The car ferries us through sodden streets to a private members club, where a table is booked in an upstairs room. But the hostess is stricken; the place has standards. She won't let him in until he takes off the cap.
It's fitting that Coogan doesn't pass for clubhouse material. His...
One rainy Friday in October, Steve Coogan takes a trip from the Lake District to an expensive part of London. He rolls into town a man in transit, still half-dressed for the country with a yellow tweed cap pulled down round his ears. The car ferries us through sodden streets to a private members club, where a table is booked in an upstairs room. But the hostess is stricken; the place has standards. She won't let him in until he takes off the cap.
It's fitting that Coogan doesn't pass for clubhouse material. His...
- 10/26/2013
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
Review Patrick Sproull 15 Oct 2013 - 06:00
Benedict Cumberbatch takes on the role of Julian Assange in Bill Condon's The Fifth Estate. Here's our review...
Is it possible to make an accurate WikiLeaks film? As Benedict Cumberbatch’s Julian Assange puts it in the closing minutes of The Fifth Estate, the truth changes through every viewpoint - thus posing the question, what is the truth? And who really knows it?
Bill Condon’s ambitious and zealous biopic on the early days of WikiLeaks is an entirely mixed bag. It exerts itself in trying to give a broad picture of WikiLeaks whilst honing in the relationship of founder Julian Assange and his second-in-command Daniel Domscheit-Berg. Benedict Cumberbatch nails the former’s twitchy tics and pronounced accent, and his portrayal, although not exactly fair on Assange himself, is one of the highlights of The Fifth Estate. Likewise Daniel Brühl (who recently excelled...
Benedict Cumberbatch takes on the role of Julian Assange in Bill Condon's The Fifth Estate. Here's our review...
Is it possible to make an accurate WikiLeaks film? As Benedict Cumberbatch’s Julian Assange puts it in the closing minutes of The Fifth Estate, the truth changes through every viewpoint - thus posing the question, what is the truth? And who really knows it?
Bill Condon’s ambitious and zealous biopic on the early days of WikiLeaks is an entirely mixed bag. It exerts itself in trying to give a broad picture of WikiLeaks whilst honing in the relationship of founder Julian Assange and his second-in-command Daniel Domscheit-Berg. Benedict Cumberbatch nails the former’s twitchy tics and pronounced accent, and his portrayal, although not exactly fair on Assange himself, is one of the highlights of The Fifth Estate. Likewise Daniel Brühl (who recently excelled...
- 10/15/2013
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
The lowdown on all the big releases of the week, plus what's coming up on the film site today
What to see this weekend
First, let's get the basics out of the way. Are you in the UK or the Us? Not sure? Well, there's a couple of new releases you can catch wherever you lay your head. These are Machete Kills, Robert Rodriguez and Danny Trejo's slightly disappointing reunion and Romeo and Juliet, Julian Fellowes's slightly disappointing take on Shakespeare.
But if pushed, would you say you were in America? If so, you're in luck! Out this weekend is Captain Phillips, the great Paul Greengrass docudrama with Tom Hanks, as well as meaty James Franco/William Faulkner movie As I Lay Dying (which we reviewed at Venice) and bananas under-the-radar Disney drama Escape from Tomorrow (reviewed from Sundance). Plus there's All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, which...
What to see this weekend
First, let's get the basics out of the way. Are you in the UK or the Us? Not sure? Well, there's a couple of new releases you can catch wherever you lay your head. These are Machete Kills, Robert Rodriguez and Danny Trejo's slightly disappointing reunion and Romeo and Juliet, Julian Fellowes's slightly disappointing take on Shakespeare.
But if pushed, would you say you were in America? If so, you're in luck! Out this weekend is Captain Phillips, the great Paul Greengrass docudrama with Tom Hanks, as well as meaty James Franco/William Faulkner movie As I Lay Dying (which we reviewed at Venice) and bananas under-the-radar Disney drama Escape from Tomorrow (reviewed from Sundance). Plus there's All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, which...
- 10/11/2013
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
The movie version of me in the The Fifth Estate is younger, cooler and more handsome. Just ask my wife
• Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Julian Assange wins Pm's praise
A word of advice: if you ever find yourself a character in a Hollywood movie, try to avoid being played by the hottest screen heartthrob of the moment.
If you don't, here's a taste of what will happen. Your wife will say things like: "Perhaps he would like to come and spend some time at home familiarising himself with the part … and its wife?" Your colleagues will ask things like: "Will he be wearing a prosthetic nose?" Most people, on hearing the news, will just laugh. A bit too much.
I know this because, until a minor Twitter mishap a few weeks ago, my greatest claim to fame was being the bloke who Dan Stevens pretends to be in The Fifth Estate,...
• Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Julian Assange wins Pm's praise
A word of advice: if you ever find yourself a character in a Hollywood movie, try to avoid being played by the hottest screen heartthrob of the moment.
If you don't, here's a taste of what will happen. Your wife will say things like: "Perhaps he would like to come and spend some time at home familiarising himself with the part … and its wife?" Your colleagues will ask things like: "Will he be wearing a prosthetic nose?" Most people, on hearing the news, will just laugh. A bit too much.
I know this because, until a minor Twitter mishap a few weeks ago, my greatest claim to fame was being the bloke who Dan Stevens pretends to be in The Fifth Estate,...
- 10/8/2013
- by Ian Katz
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: Luke Harding writing book for Guardian Books; studios and indies in the mix for film rights.
The Guardian is publishing its own book about fugitive whistle-blower Edward Snowden, which is among the Snowden books garnering attention from studios and independents for film rights.
The previously unannounced book, due to be published by Guardian Books, is being authored by writer and Guardian correspondent Luke Harding, who previously co-wrote one of the two WikiLeaks books on which DreamWorks’ The Fifth Estate is based.
Screen understands that the book will explore The Guardian’s reporting of the Snowden-nsa-mass surveillance stories.
The existence of The Guardian’s book sheds further light on why at least one major film executive has met with Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger to discuss film rights in recent months.
Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has covered the story from its inception, is simultaneously writing a book about Snowden and the Nsa’s mass surveillance operation for Metropolitan...
The Guardian is publishing its own book about fugitive whistle-blower Edward Snowden, which is among the Snowden books garnering attention from studios and independents for film rights.
The previously unannounced book, due to be published by Guardian Books, is being authored by writer and Guardian correspondent Luke Harding, who previously co-wrote one of the two WikiLeaks books on which DreamWorks’ The Fifth Estate is based.
Screen understands that the book will explore The Guardian’s reporting of the Snowden-nsa-mass surveillance stories.
The existence of The Guardian’s book sheds further light on why at least one major film executive has met with Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger to discuss film rights in recent months.
Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has covered the story from its inception, is simultaneously writing a book about Snowden and the Nsa’s mass surveillance operation for Metropolitan...
- 10/3/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Luke Harding writing book for Guardian imprint; studios and indies in the mix for film rights.
The Guardian is publishing its own book about fugitive whistle-blower Edward Snowden, which is among the Snowden books garnering attention from studios and independents for film rights.
The previously unannounced book, due to be published by Guardian imprint Guardian Faber, is being authored by writer and Guardian correspondent Luke Harding, who previously co-wrote one of the two WikiLeaks books on which DreamWorks’ The Fifth Estate is based.
Screen understands that the book will explore The Guardian’s reporting of the Snowden-nsa-mass surveillance stories.
The existence of The Guardian’s book sheds further light on why at least one major film executive has met with Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger to discuss film rights in recent months.
Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has covered the story from its inception, is simultaneously writing a book about Snowden and the Nsa’s mass surveillance...
The Guardian is publishing its own book about fugitive whistle-blower Edward Snowden, which is among the Snowden books garnering attention from studios and independents for film rights.
The previously unannounced book, due to be published by Guardian imprint Guardian Faber, is being authored by writer and Guardian correspondent Luke Harding, who previously co-wrote one of the two WikiLeaks books on which DreamWorks’ The Fifth Estate is based.
Screen understands that the book will explore The Guardian’s reporting of the Snowden-nsa-mass surveillance stories.
The existence of The Guardian’s book sheds further light on why at least one major film executive has met with Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger to discuss film rights in recent months.
Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has covered the story from its inception, is simultaneously writing a book about Snowden and the Nsa’s mass surveillance...
- 10/3/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way is the frontrunner to score the film rights to the life of fugitive whistle-blower Edward Snowden.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald broke the original news story in The Guardian newspaper and is now writing a book about Snowden and the Nsa. He says "there have been negotiations" with an unnamed company for the rights, but the deal is not yet locked.
Snowden was a Us computer specialist and former CIA and Nsa employee. He disclosed classified details to The Guardian in an effort to expose the actions of the Nsa, the government agency which had been collecting the telephone records of millions of Verizon customers under a top secret court order.
Snowden was subsequently charged with espionage by the Us government, prompting him to flee to Hong Kong and then Russia where he has been granted temporary asylum. Shortly after the story's publication, The Guardian had to...
Journalist Glenn Greenwald broke the original news story in The Guardian newspaper and is now writing a book about Snowden and the Nsa. He says "there have been negotiations" with an unnamed company for the rights, but the deal is not yet locked.
Snowden was a Us computer specialist and former CIA and Nsa employee. He disclosed classified details to The Guardian in an effort to expose the actions of the Nsa, the government agency which had been collecting the telephone records of millions of Verizon customers under a top secret court order.
Snowden was subsequently charged with espionage by the Us government, prompting him to flee to Hong Kong and then Russia where he has been granted temporary asylum. Shortly after the story's publication, The Guardian had to...
- 9/25/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Exclusive: Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way front-runner to snag film rights to Edward Snowden film.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way is among the Us outfits battling it out for rights to a film about fugitive whistle-blower Edward Snowden and the National Security Agency (Nsa) scandal.
Multiple sources have confirmed to ScreenDaily that Appian Way, which has a production deal with Warner Bros., is the front-runner in the race to secure rights. The production company was unavailable for comment.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald, who broke the Guardian’s expose story about the Nsa’s mass surveillance operation and who is now writing a book about Snowden and the Nsa, confirmed to Screen that “there have been negotiations” [with an unnamed company/companies] for rights but that a deal has yet to be concluded.
Greenwald recently struck a deal with publisher Metropolitan Books to write a book about Nsa surveillance, due for publication in March 2014. New York-based agency Writers House represents the screen rights.
Publisher...
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way is among the Us outfits battling it out for rights to a film about fugitive whistle-blower Edward Snowden and the National Security Agency (Nsa) scandal.
Multiple sources have confirmed to ScreenDaily that Appian Way, which has a production deal with Warner Bros., is the front-runner in the race to secure rights. The production company was unavailable for comment.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald, who broke the Guardian’s expose story about the Nsa’s mass surveillance operation and who is now writing a book about Snowden and the Nsa, confirmed to Screen that “there have been negotiations” [with an unnamed company/companies] for rights but that a deal has yet to be concluded.
Greenwald recently struck a deal with publisher Metropolitan Books to write a book about Nsa surveillance, due for publication in March 2014. New York-based agency Writers House represents the screen rights.
Publisher...
- 9/25/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Cumberbatch says of playing Assange in new film The Fifth Estate, 'we show his ideas and integrity and self-sacrifice'
Benedict Cumberbatch, the British actor whose high-profile portrayal of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is generating Oscar buzz, has launched a defence of the man he plays in new movie The Fifth Estate. "I think we show his ideas and integrity and self-sacrifice," said Cumberbatch, the morning after the film opened the 38th Toronto film festival. "I think there's a lot to celebrate about his achievements."
In the film, Cumberbatch plays Assange as a quicksilver saviour, humane at times, deceitful at others, never less than human. The actor, 37, said empathy was key to his interpretation. "I think to try and go into this realm of thumbs up or thumbs down is so limiting. You want to find what's human about him. And that's not to soften the edges. [But] so it's something we can relate to.
Benedict Cumberbatch, the British actor whose high-profile portrayal of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is generating Oscar buzz, has launched a defence of the man he plays in new movie The Fifth Estate. "I think we show his ideas and integrity and self-sacrifice," said Cumberbatch, the morning after the film opened the 38th Toronto film festival. "I think there's a lot to celebrate about his achievements."
In the film, Cumberbatch plays Assange as a quicksilver saviour, humane at times, deceitful at others, never less than human. The actor, 37, said empathy was key to his interpretation. "I think to try and go into this realm of thumbs up or thumbs down is so limiting. You want to find what's human about him. And that's not to soften the edges. [But] so it's something we can relate to.
- 9/7/2013
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Benedict Cumberbatch shines as Julian Assange in Bill Condon's over-ambitious take on WikiLeaks, which opens this year's Toronto film festival
For an employee of the Guardian, particularly one with jetlag, Bill Condon's WikiLeaks thriller can seem more hallucination than movie. An account of the ascent of Julian Assange and his collaboration with this newspaper (among others) in the publication of classified documents, it plays like one of those dreams in which your office looks normal enough from the outside, but step within and everything's subtly different. It's more Scandinavian, somehow; with car park pillars and glass walls to which people attach crucial bits of paper, as on Crimewatch. The editor has developed a sudden taste for shagpile rugs. And why did you never notice the deputy is a dead spit for the dishy one on Downton Abbey?
Such tweaks will not get an artistic licence revoked. In fact,...
For an employee of the Guardian, particularly one with jetlag, Bill Condon's WikiLeaks thriller can seem more hallucination than movie. An account of the ascent of Julian Assange and his collaboration with this newspaper (among others) in the publication of classified documents, it plays like one of those dreams in which your office looks normal enough from the outside, but step within and everything's subtly different. It's more Scandinavian, somehow; with car park pillars and glass walls to which people attach crucial bits of paper, as on Crimewatch. The editor has developed a sudden taste for shagpile rugs. And why did you never notice the deputy is a dead spit for the dishy one on Downton Abbey?
Such tweaks will not get an artistic licence revoked. In fact,...
- 9/6/2013
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Canadian festival hopes to outshine Venice and Telluride with films including WikiLeaks drama The Fifth Estate
• Watch the trailer for The Fifth Estate
• Our gallery of the pick of the line-up
• Video: Toronto 2013 kicks off
In Venice, they're rolling up the red carpet as the sun sets on the 70th film festival. Four thousand miles west, they're unfurling it, as Toronto gears up to host its festival for the 37th year. Many critics are touting it as the finest film festival lineup in history – less a programme than a dry run for Oscars night.
The festival begins on Thursday evening with the world premiere of the WikiLeaks drama The Fifth Estate, partly based on the book by the Guardian journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding, and starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange, while Peter Capaldi is the Guardian editor, Alan Rusbridger, David Thewlis is the investigative reporter Nick Davies and...
• Watch the trailer for The Fifth Estate
• Our gallery of the pick of the line-up
• Video: Toronto 2013 kicks off
In Venice, they're rolling up the red carpet as the sun sets on the 70th film festival. Four thousand miles west, they're unfurling it, as Toronto gears up to host its festival for the 37th year. Many critics are touting it as the finest film festival lineup in history – less a programme than a dry run for Oscars night.
The festival begins on Thursday evening with the world premiere of the WikiLeaks drama The Fifth Estate, partly based on the book by the Guardian journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding, and starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange, while Peter Capaldi is the Guardian editor, Alan Rusbridger, David Thewlis is the investigative reporter Nick Davies and...
- 9/5/2013
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
A set of new images from The Fifth Estate has been released.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays controversial activist and WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange in the upcoming biopic, which focuses on Assange's crumbling relationship with his colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl).
Upcoming Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi and Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens appear in the images as Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger and deputy editor Ian Katz respectively, while Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci and Carice van Houten also appear.
The film was directed by Bill Condon (Twilight: Breaking Dawn) and penned by former West Wing writer Josh Singer.
Assange was initially hostile towards the film's production, but has reportedly reconsidered his position after exchanging a series of emails with Cumberbatch.
> 'The Fifth Estate': Who's playing who in Benedict Cumberbatch drama?
> Benedict Cumberbatch: 'Cumberbitches will protect me from Assange'
The Fifth Estate will be released on October 11 in the UK,...
Benedict Cumberbatch plays controversial activist and WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange in the upcoming biopic, which focuses on Assange's crumbling relationship with his colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl).
Upcoming Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi and Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens appear in the images as Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger and deputy editor Ian Katz respectively, while Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci and Carice van Houten also appear.
The film was directed by Bill Condon (Twilight: Breaking Dawn) and penned by former West Wing writer Josh Singer.
Assange was initially hostile towards the film's production, but has reportedly reconsidered his position after exchanging a series of emails with Cumberbatch.
> 'The Fifth Estate': Who's playing who in Benedict Cumberbatch drama?
> Benedict Cumberbatch: 'Cumberbitches will protect me from Assange'
The Fifth Estate will be released on October 11 in the UK,...
- 8/20/2013
- Digital Spy
The Fifth Estate has debuted a new poster.
The artwork for the Wikileaks film features stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Daniel Brühl.
Sherlock actor Cumberbatch stars as the controversial activist Julian Assange in the film, which focuses on his relationship with colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Brühl).
Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci, Dan Stevens and Alicia Vikander also feature in the all-star cast, with David Thewlis as Flat Earth News author Nick Davies and upcoming Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi as Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger.
The movie was directed by Twilight's Bill Condon.
The Fifth Estate will arrive in cinemas on October 11. Watch a trailer for the film below:...
The artwork for the Wikileaks film features stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Daniel Brühl.
Sherlock actor Cumberbatch stars as the controversial activist Julian Assange in the film, which focuses on his relationship with colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Brühl).
Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci, Dan Stevens and Alicia Vikander also feature in the all-star cast, with David Thewlis as Flat Earth News author Nick Davies and upcoming Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi as Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger.
The movie was directed by Twilight's Bill Condon.
The Fifth Estate will arrive in cinemas on October 11. Watch a trailer for the film below:...
- 8/20/2013
- Digital Spy
55-year-old Scottish actor Peter Capaldi has scored the highly talked about role of the twelfth incarnation of The Doctor in BBC's long-running "Doctor Who". Capaldi replaces Matt Smith whose version is set to regenerate during this year's Christmas special.
A life long Who fan, Capaldi has previously been a part of the Who-universe. He had a guest starring role as an ancient Roman merchant named Caecilius in the 2008 episode "Fires of Pompeii," and had a major role as an ultimately tragic Government man named John Frobisher in the mini-series "Torchwood: Children of Earth".
With over three decades of experience, the role of The Doctor is quite different to what has been Capaldi's most defining role to this date - the frequently swearing Government spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in the acidic satire "The Thick of It" and its 2009 feature "In the Loop".
The actor has logged in credits in practically a...
A life long Who fan, Capaldi has previously been a part of the Who-universe. He had a guest starring role as an ancient Roman merchant named Caecilius in the 2008 episode "Fires of Pompeii," and had a major role as an ultimately tragic Government man named John Frobisher in the mini-series "Torchwood: Children of Earth".
With over three decades of experience, the role of The Doctor is quite different to what has been Capaldi's most defining role to this date - the frequently swearing Government spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in the acidic satire "The Thick of It" and its 2009 feature "In the Loop".
The actor has logged in credits in practically a...
- 8/4/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
It probably won't have escaped you that Bill Condon's upcoming WikiLeaks drama The Fifth Estate stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the organisation's infamous co-founder Julian Assange; he and his co-star Daniel Brühl were front and centre in the first trailer, which was released last week.
But there are several real figures who were only glimpsed or entirely omitted from the trailer, which centred more on Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci and Anthony Mackie's fictional characters.
Here's Digital Spy's handy guide to who's who in The Fifth Estate, from WikiLeaks volunteers to Guardian journalists.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange
While Jeremy Renner was initially pursuing the role, Cumberbatch was cast last year to play the controversial figure of Assange, and filming on the third series of Sherlock was reportedly pushed back in order to allow him to complete the film. Assange's rise to fame as the face of WikiLeaks, the subsequent...
But there are several real figures who were only glimpsed or entirely omitted from the trailer, which centred more on Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci and Anthony Mackie's fictional characters.
Here's Digital Spy's handy guide to who's who in The Fifth Estate, from WikiLeaks volunteers to Guardian journalists.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange
While Jeremy Renner was initially pursuing the role, Cumberbatch was cast last year to play the controversial figure of Assange, and filming on the third series of Sherlock was reportedly pushed back in order to allow him to complete the film. Assange's rise to fame as the face of WikiLeaks, the subsequent...
- 7/26/2013
- Digital Spy
WikiLeaks drama kicks off a huge slate of major world premieres, including August: Osage County, Twelve Years a Slave, Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom and new films for Brits such as Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes and Richard Ayoade, as well as the late James Gandolfini
• Toronto film festival: 20 tops picks in pictures
• The full Toronto film festival line-up
The Toronto film festival today offered audiences a glimpse of the future, as it unveiled a list of premieres which reads like a dry run for next year's Oscars ceremony.
Among the 13 galas and 52 special presentations revealed is The Fifth Estate, the drama based partly on the book about WikiLeaks by Guardian journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding, which will open this year's festival. The drama, directed by Bill Condon, stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange with Daniel Brühl, David Thewlis, Stanley Tucci, Laura Linney and Dan Stevens in supporting roles.
• Toronto film festival: 20 tops picks in pictures
• The full Toronto film festival line-up
The Toronto film festival today offered audiences a glimpse of the future, as it unveiled a list of premieres which reads like a dry run for next year's Oscars ceremony.
Among the 13 galas and 52 special presentations revealed is The Fifth Estate, the drama based partly on the book about WikiLeaks by Guardian journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding, which will open this year's festival. The drama, directed by Bill Condon, stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange with Daniel Brühl, David Thewlis, Stanley Tucci, Laura Linney and Dan Stevens in supporting roles.
- 7/24/2013
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as a youthful and passionate Julian Assange has been unveiled in the first trailer for Wikileaks film 'The Fifth Estate'.
Described by Assange as a "massive propaganda attack", the film is a fictionalised account of the Wikileaks saga in which the website's founder Assange leaked confidential information on the Us military's operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to newspapers including the Guardian, the New York Times and Der Spiegel.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange
Cumberbatch makes an extreme transformation for the film, with his face aged with make-up, his hair long and white, and he adopts an Australian accent in his bid to become Assange.
Interview: Documentary Maker Alex Gibney Explains Why He 'Soured' On Julian Assange
The trailer shows events leading up to Wikileaks' revelations which shook the world.
Cumberbatch appears giving a speech in which Assange declares himself as "one whistle-blower willing to...
Described by Assange as a "massive propaganda attack", the film is a fictionalised account of the Wikileaks saga in which the website's founder Assange leaked confidential information on the Us military's operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to newspapers including the Guardian, the New York Times and Der Spiegel.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange
Cumberbatch makes an extreme transformation for the film, with his face aged with make-up, his hair long and white, and he adopts an Australian accent in his bid to become Assange.
Interview: Documentary Maker Alex Gibney Explains Why He 'Soured' On Julian Assange
The trailer shows events leading up to Wikileaks' revelations which shook the world.
Cumberbatch appears giving a speech in which Assange declares himself as "one whistle-blower willing to...
- 7/17/2013
- by The Huffington Post UK/PA
- Huffington Post
The first footage of Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange has been unveiled.
The Fifth Estate stars Cumberbatch as the WikiLeaks founder, opposite Rush's Daniel Brühl as Daniel Domscheit-Berg.
The trailer shows Assange's growing confidence as WikiLeaks rattles authorities including the White House with its investigations. It also hints at the breakdown in his working relationship with Domscheit-Berg, who left the organisation in 2010 after a public falling-out with Assange.
The Fifth Estate's all-star cast includes Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci, Dan Stevens and Alicia Vikander.
David Thewlis plays Nick Davies, the author of Flat Earth News, and The Thick of It's Peter Capaldi portrays The Guardian's editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger.
The Fifth Estate - directed by Twilight's Bill Condon - opens on October 11, 2013.
The Fifth Estate stars Cumberbatch as the WikiLeaks founder, opposite Rush's Daniel Brühl as Daniel Domscheit-Berg.
The trailer shows Assange's growing confidence as WikiLeaks rattles authorities including the White House with its investigations. It also hints at the breakdown in his working relationship with Domscheit-Berg, who left the organisation in 2010 after a public falling-out with Assange.
The Fifth Estate's all-star cast includes Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci, Dan Stevens and Alicia Vikander.
David Thewlis plays Nick Davies, the author of Flat Earth News, and The Thick of It's Peter Capaldi portrays The Guardian's editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger.
The Fifth Estate - directed by Twilight's Bill Condon - opens on October 11, 2013.
- 7/17/2013
- Digital Spy
I doubt that Lord Justice Leveson, or any of us for that matter, imagined at its July 2011 inception that his eponymous inquiry into the ethics and practices of the press would have quite such an impact.
No day passes, it seems, without some mention somewhere of "Leveson", and often - given that the majority of publishers and editors are displeased with the outcome - rather unkindly.
Sir Brian might have expected that. But he will surely be surprised to hear that his inquiry is to form the centrepiece of a gallery exhibition. Next week sees the opening of "After Leveson: two views of the press" at the ellwood atfield gallery around the corner from parliament, in Smith Square.
According to the publicity "two compelling and competing visions of the press" will "challenge" visitors.
In one gallery room, the noted campaigner for freedom of expression (and against Leveson), Mick Hume, is...
No day passes, it seems, without some mention somewhere of "Leveson", and often - given that the majority of publishers and editors are displeased with the outcome - rather unkindly.
Sir Brian might have expected that. But he will surely be surprised to hear that his inquiry is to form the centrepiece of a gallery exhibition. Next week sees the opening of "After Leveson: two views of the press" at the ellwood atfield gallery around the corner from parliament, in Smith Square.
According to the publicity "two compelling and competing visions of the press" will "challenge" visitors.
In one gallery room, the noted campaigner for freedom of expression (and against Leveson), Mick Hume, is...
- 5/10/2013
- by Roy Greenslade
- The Guardian - Film News
From a full programme of film and stage adaptations to a new James Bond novel, unpublished works by Rs Thomas and Wg Sebald and a new prize for women writers, 2013 is set to be a real page-turner
January
10th The Oscar nominations are announced unusually early this year. Keep an eye out for a bumper crop of literary adaptations, including David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, Yann Martel's Life of Pi, the David Nicholls-scripted Great Expectations, as well as Les Miserables, Anna Karenina and The Hobbit.
18th A new stage adaptation of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw at the Almeida theatre in London. In the year of the centenary of Benjamin Britten's birth, his musical version will also feature around the country in both concert and stage performances.
24th The finalists for the fifth Man Booker International prize will be announced at the Jaipur festival.
January
10th The Oscar nominations are announced unusually early this year. Keep an eye out for a bumper crop of literary adaptations, including David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, Yann Martel's Life of Pi, the David Nicholls-scripted Great Expectations, as well as Les Miserables, Anna Karenina and The Hobbit.
18th A new stage adaptation of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw at the Almeida theatre in London. In the year of the centenary of Benjamin Britten's birth, his musical version will also feature around the country in both concert and stage performances.
24th The finalists for the fifth Man Booker International prize will be announced at the Jaipur festival.
- 1/5/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
London – British prime minister David Cameron has said the "clock is ticking" for newspaper editors and proprietors to sort out press regulation in the wake of the Leveson inquiry findings into media ethics. Cameron played a "friendly but firm" host according to The Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger, who was talking to BBC news after the meeting of the great and the good from the U.K. national press at No. 10 Downing Street Tuesday. Attendees included Dominic Mohan, the editor of The Sun, the tabloid and sister publication of the now defunct The News of The World Sunday, published by
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- 12/4/2012
- by Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
DreamWorks studio, which optioned two Guardian journalists' book about the WikiLeaks saga, is looking to cast the star of The Bourne Legacy as the outspoken activist
Julian Assange, the man Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger once described as "a compelling character who goes beyond what any Hollywood scriptwriter would dare to invent", may be played by Jeremy Renner in DreamWorks' planned movie version about the inside story of WikiLeaks.
Renner, who is gearing up for the release of The Bourne Legacy – the latest instalment in the spy franchise made famous by Matt Damon – is "looking hard" at playing the outspoken activist, according to the Deadline blog. Bill Condon, the man behind Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn parts one and two, is rumoured to be lined up as director.
DreamWorks' WikiLeaks movie will span the events covered by Guardian journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding's book, WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy,...
Julian Assange, the man Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger once described as "a compelling character who goes beyond what any Hollywood scriptwriter would dare to invent", may be played by Jeremy Renner in DreamWorks' planned movie version about the inside story of WikiLeaks.
Renner, who is gearing up for the release of The Bourne Legacy – the latest instalment in the spy franchise made famous by Matt Damon – is "looking hard" at playing the outspoken activist, according to the Deadline blog. Bill Condon, the man behind Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn parts one and two, is rumoured to be lined up as director.
DreamWorks' WikiLeaks movie will span the events covered by Guardian journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding's book, WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy,...
- 7/24/2012
- by Henry Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
The Sky News broadcaster has used Twitter to accuse a respected lawyer of 'simpering'. Guess the gender of his target
Just 18 minutes into his appearance at the Leveson inquiry, the Guardian editor-in-chief, Alan Rusbridger, had already been asked where he stood on privacy and the public interest, prior notification and whether subterfuge for journalists was ever justified.
This was obviously not enough for Adam Boulton, the veteran broadcaster at Sky News, who turned to Twitter to harrumph: "The incompetence of #Leveson beggars belief. Why on earth has #womanontheleft been called in to simper at @arusbridger?"
Can anyone remember the last time a man was accused of "simpering"?
No, me neither.
It's one of those words, like "game", "feisty", "sassy", and oh so many more, which are rarely used for anyone male. The online Macmillan dictionary even helpfully provides an example for its definition ("trying to be friendly and pleasant in...
Just 18 minutes into his appearance at the Leveson inquiry, the Guardian editor-in-chief, Alan Rusbridger, had already been asked where he stood on privacy and the public interest, prior notification and whether subterfuge for journalists was ever justified.
This was obviously not enough for Adam Boulton, the veteran broadcaster at Sky News, who turned to Twitter to harrumph: "The incompetence of #Leveson beggars belief. Why on earth has #womanontheleft been called in to simper at @arusbridger?"
Can anyone remember the last time a man was accused of "simpering"?
No, me neither.
It's one of those words, like "game", "feisty", "sassy", and oh so many more, which are rarely used for anyone male. The online Macmillan dictionary even helpfully provides an example for its definition ("trying to be friendly and pleasant in...
- 1/17/2012
- by Jane Martinson
- The Guardian - Film News
From Piers Morgan to Polly Toynbee, Jemima Khan to Jarvis Cocker – David Cameron takes questions from public figures who want answers
Hear what the Pm has to say in our audio interactive
David Mitchell, comedian
Do you wish you were less posh?
"[Laughs] No. You can't change who you are. For a long time I thought my full name was 'The Old Etonian David Cameron'. I had parents who gave me a wonderful start in life, who sacrificed a lot to give me a great education. So I don't ever want to change – I don't want to drop my accent or change my vowels. I am who I am."
Piers Morgan, TV presenter
If you could relive one moment in your life, excluding births of children and marriage, what would it be?
"God, that's a really good question. Piers, why don't you ever ask really good questions like that normally? I...
Hear what the Pm has to say in our audio interactive
David Mitchell, comedian
Do you wish you were less posh?
"[Laughs] No. You can't change who you are. For a long time I thought my full name was 'The Old Etonian David Cameron'. I had parents who gave me a wonderful start in life, who sacrificed a lot to give me a great education. So I don't ever want to change – I don't want to drop my accent or change my vowels. I am who I am."
Piers Morgan, TV presenter
If you could relive one moment in your life, excluding births of children and marriage, what would it be?
"God, that's a really good question. Piers, why don't you ever ask really good questions like that normally? I...
- 11/26/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
Hacking debates are breaking out at every turn. Here, in chronological order, are three major examples about to take place:
Hacked Off Lib Dem fringe meeting
Phone hacking, privacy and libel – the future of the press. A panel of speakers includes actor Hugh Grant, Index on Censorship chief executive John Kampfner, lawyer Charlotte Harris, Guardian media chief Dan Sabbagh and Lib Dem media spokesman Don Foster MP.
It is a Lib Dem conference fringe event, being held on Sunday (18 September) at Birmingham's International Conference Centre from 1pm. Organised by the Hacked Off campaign.
Evans joins the media great and good
The press we deserve: a conversation with Sir Harold Evans. Joining the former Sunday Times editor will be Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger, his predecessor Peter Preston, Chris Byrant MP, newly-departed New York Times editor Bill Keller, Economist editor John Micklethwait and BBC director-general Mark Thompson.
It's on Tuesday next, 20 September,...
Hacked Off Lib Dem fringe meeting
Phone hacking, privacy and libel – the future of the press. A panel of speakers includes actor Hugh Grant, Index on Censorship chief executive John Kampfner, lawyer Charlotte Harris, Guardian media chief Dan Sabbagh and Lib Dem media spokesman Don Foster MP.
It is a Lib Dem conference fringe event, being held on Sunday (18 September) at Birmingham's International Conference Centre from 1pm. Organised by the Hacked Off campaign.
Evans joins the media great and good
The press we deserve: a conversation with Sir Harold Evans. Joining the former Sunday Times editor will be Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger, his predecessor Peter Preston, Chris Byrant MP, newly-departed New York Times editor Bill Keller, Economist editor John Micklethwait and BBC director-general Mark Thompson.
It's on Tuesday next, 20 September,...
- 9/16/2011
- by Roy Greenslade
- The Guardian - Film News
• James Murdoch 'misled' culture select committee
• Questions mount over Coulson's mid-level security check
• Sun features editor sacked over his work at NotW
• Click here for a summary of today's key events
9.45am: Welcome to today's live updates on the still-unfolding repercussions of the phone hacking scandal. Following yesterday's Commons statement and debate, the house in now in recess. Rupert Murdoch has left the UK following his testimony to MPs on Tuesday.
So, on the face of it today could appear a slight respite following an almost absurdly dramatic fortnight. A majority of English daily papers – five against four – lead on other stories, including the unfolding crisis in the eurozone.
But rest assured there will be more to come. Nick Clegg is scheduled to give an end-of-term press conference imminently. Perhaps someone could ask why he looked so detached – disinterested, even – during David Cameron's phone hacking statement. There is also surely...
• Questions mount over Coulson's mid-level security check
• Sun features editor sacked over his work at NotW
• Click here for a summary of today's key events
9.45am: Welcome to today's live updates on the still-unfolding repercussions of the phone hacking scandal. Following yesterday's Commons statement and debate, the house in now in recess. Rupert Murdoch has left the UK following his testimony to MPs on Tuesday.
So, on the face of it today could appear a slight respite following an almost absurdly dramatic fortnight. A majority of English daily papers – five against four – lead on other stories, including the unfolding crisis in the eurozone.
But rest assured there will be more to come. Nick Clegg is scheduled to give an end-of-term press conference imminently. Perhaps someone could ask why he looked so detached – disinterested, even – during David Cameron's phone hacking statement. There is also surely...
- 7/22/2011
- by Peter Walker, Paul Owen, David Batty
- The Guardian - Film News
So there's Jude Law as John Yates and of course Hilary Swank as Murdoch Jr ... but if you've got other ideas for our topical conspiracy thriller, we're all ears
It's the story that's absorbed the entire country (if you're a Tory backbencher reading this, please feel free to replace "entire country" with "Westminster bubble"). Phone-hacking might have started at the News of the World, but it has spread to take in our most powerful institutions: parliament, police, media and Paul McMullan's Dover B&B. It has, of course, been a story with tragic elements, but one that has all the dramatic twists and turns of a conspiracy thriller. So why not see if we can cast one?
Some of you may have played the game of casting phone hacking: the movie on YouTube, and on social networks such as Twitter and Bebo. But it's unlikely that you'll have played it...
It's the story that's absorbed the entire country (if you're a Tory backbencher reading this, please feel free to replace "entire country" with "Westminster bubble"). Phone-hacking might have started at the News of the World, but it has spread to take in our most powerful institutions: parliament, police, media and Paul McMullan's Dover B&B. It has, of course, been a story with tragic elements, but one that has all the dramatic twists and turns of a conspiracy thriller. So why not see if we can cast one?
Some of you may have played the game of casting phone hacking: the movie on YouTube, and on social networks such as Twitter and Bebo. But it's unlikely that you'll have played it...
- 7/22/2011
- by Paul MacInnes
- The Guardian - Film News
Welcome to Fast Feed, the Fast Company reader's essential source for breaking news and innovation from around the web--bite-sized and updated all day.
Gmail rolls out behavioral advertising: using similar algorithms for its priority inbox, new ads will depend on the messages you're been receiving and include local deals. "Soon, some of you will start seeing fewer ads, overall," says a new promotional video. [Update: 4:37]
[youtube WFB2RypEG3o]
Windows Mobile Os to take 2nd place with 20% market share by 2015, according to a new report by Idc (Android will be number 1 with 45%). [Update: 4:37]
Oil could be gone in 50 years, even assuming constant demand, according to the Hsbc bank's senior global economist economist, Karen Ward. Gas is a difficult alternative because of transportation issues, but coal will be around for around for another 176 years. [Update: 4:37]
Two flying robots play ping pong in this viral video [Update: 4:37]
[youtube 3CR5y8qZf0Y]
Gadhafi's son returns from Us internship to command violent suppression. Khamis Gadhafi was...
Gmail rolls out behavioral advertising: using similar algorithms for its priority inbox, new ads will depend on the messages you're been receiving and include local deals. "Soon, some of you will start seeing fewer ads, overall," says a new promotional video. [Update: 4:37]
[youtube WFB2RypEG3o]
Windows Mobile Os to take 2nd place with 20% market share by 2015, according to a new report by Idc (Android will be number 1 with 45%). [Update: 4:37]
Oil could be gone in 50 years, even assuming constant demand, according to the Hsbc bank's senior global economist economist, Karen Ward. Gas is a difficult alternative because of transportation issues, but coal will be around for around for another 176 years. [Update: 4:37]
Two flying robots play ping pong in this viral video [Update: 4:37]
[youtube 3CR5y8qZf0Y]
Gadhafi's son returns from Us internship to command violent suppression. Khamis Gadhafi was...
- 3/30/2011
- by Gregory Ferenstein
- Fast Company
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