A scene from Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring
Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring to Open Cannes' Un Certain Regard
Coppola's latest will open the Un Certain Regard sidebar of the 66th Cannes Film Festival. Coppola is a familiar presence in Cannes, having unveiled The Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette there. Her latest, starring Emma Watson, Leslie Mann and Kirsten Dunst, recounts the true story of adolescents whose obsession with celebrity lead them to track their whereabouts online and ultimately to rob their homes. In related news, Danish-born filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg (The Hunt) will lead the Un Certain Regard jury. Cannes takes place May 15 – 26 and The Bling Ring will open Stateside on June 14. Said Coppola: “I am happy to come back to the Festival de Cannes. Marie-Antoinette was in competition in 2006, I presented my first film Virgin Suicides at the Directors’ Fortnight and I am very proud now to open Un Certain Regard with my new film that will be screened for the first time before an audience. I can’t wait to be there.”
Oscar Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to Return
Zadam and Meron, who produced this year's Oscars ceremony, are set to return to produce the 2014 event, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced. Academy president Hawk Koch said it was “important to give these consummate professionals the green light now… in order to establish continuity.” Next year's awards event will take place March 2, 2014, BBC reports.
Baz Luhrmann Talks The Great Gatsby
Speaking via a videotaped message at CinemaCon, an exhibitor convention currently taking place in Las Vegas, Luhrmann praised his cast, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Joel Edgerton, saying they were “young actors at the height of their powers.” He called The Great Gatsby a “reflection of our time” and said the novel set in the early 20s is a “great, tragic love story with action, passion, drama.” The film will open the upcoming Cannes Film Festival just after its U.S. debut, THR reports.
David O. Russell's Upcoming ABSCAM Film Titled American Hustle
The Silver Linings Playbook filmmaker's next film has received a title. It is based on the FBI's late-70s ABSCAM sting operation and had been rumored to be American Bullshit, but it is in fact titled with the more marketable American Hustle. The film reunites Russell with his Silver Linings star Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Russell and Robert DeNiro, along with Christian Bale and Amy Adams, The Guardian reports.
Sundance's C.O.G. Heads to Theaters
Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez and based on an autobiographical short story by David Sedaris, the film centers on a recent Yale graduate who decides to immerse himself with migrant workers in a small town in Oregon, leading to awkward and often funny situations. Screen Media and Focus World will release the film, which stars Jonathan Groff, Corey Stoll, Denis O’Hare, Casey Wilson, Troian Bellisario, and Dean Stockwell. It will arrive in theaters and via digital platforms later this year, Deadline reports.
