It's not even the New Year, and already the Tinseltown pundits are out with their Oscar predictions—well, predictions for the nominations, at least. (Mark those calendars: nominations announced, January 25; Academy Awards extravaganza, February 27.) How many of the following actors, directors, and producers will be holding their collective breaths as the time-honored ritual is repeated ("And the Oscar goes to... ") as it has been since 1929.
Two films here are remakes of Hollywood classics—will the leading ladies in new adaptations of Jane Eyre and Mildred Pierce (staples these days of Turner Classic Movies) be able to erase memories of those two stunning Joans, Fontaine and Crawford? And novels by three noted contemporary authors—William Boyd, Cormac McCarthy, and Mordecai Richler—are being adapted for the big screen as well.
Though this January–April frame isn't the typical blockbuster time of year, who are we to rule out the possibility of a dark horse. Might Unknown become "known"? Could The Rite demonstrate the right stuff? Any Human Heart touch every human heart? Place your bets.
| january |
The Rite
Starring Anthony Hopkins, Alice Braga, Toby Jones
Directed by Mikael Hafström
Release date January 28 (Warner Bros., wide)
Tie-in from Doubleday Religion: The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist by Matt Baglio (trade paper)
Prospects look good for this true-life story—good and scary. As reported October 16 by Variety, "The exorcism subgenre has consistently brought in the green—and not just the iconic pea-soup green Linda Blair made famous in The Exorcist"—a frightfest that hauled in some $400 million. And recent E-word flicks, though not up to that level, have scared up impressive b.o. results: Lionsgate's The Last Exorcism grossed $41 million in the U.S.; The Exorcism of Emily Rose, $140 million worldwide; and The Exorcist: The Beginning brought in $78 million worldwide. And of course Hopkins can always be counted on for a dose of creepy—think Hannibal Lecter.
Barney's Version
Starring Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Minnie Driver
Directed by Richard J. Lewis
Release date January 14 (Sony Pictures Classics, limited)
Tie-in from Vintage Books: Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler (trade)
A sterling cast interprets the late Richler's much lauded, award-winning novel. Some critics have already weighed in, with—no surprise—typically divergent opinions. According to Boxoffice magazine, it's "one of those rare films whose caricature of life undeniably illuminates.... Richler had the knack for creating unforgettable characters and this film will be remembered for its performances." The New York Times, on the other hand, says, "The filmmakers have been, if anything, too dutiful, too careful, and the movie that results from their conscientious, devoted labor illustrates the terrible, paradoxical trap into which well-intentioned literary adaptations so often fall."
The Other Woman
Starring Natalie Portman, Lisa Kudrow, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Directed by Don Roos
Release date January (IFC Films, limited)
Tie-in from Vintage Books: Love and Other Impossible Pursuits by Ayelet Waldman (hardcover, trade, Feb. 8)
PW loved Waldman's 2006 novel: "How a five-year-old manages to make the adults in his life hew to the love he holds for them is the sweet treat in this honest, brutal, bitterly funny slice of life.... Waldman has upper bourgeois New York down cold. The result is a terrific adult story." And Woman's b.o. is sure to benefit from Portman's current Black Swan performance, which has garnered rave notices and superloud Oscar buzz. (Interesting trivia: according to IMDb.com, Jennifer Lopez was once attached to play Swan's leading role.)
| february |
Unknown
Starring Liam Neeson, January Jones, Frank Langella
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Release date February 18 (Warner Bros., wide)
Tie-in from Penguin: Unknown (originally Out of My Head) by Didier Van Cauwelaert (trade, Jan. 12)
According to Penguin, "This is a fast-paced psychological thriller about a man who wakes up from a coma to find his wife with another man, and both of them claiming they have no idea who he is." But we bet this hotshot trio can figure it out—especially January Jones, who's attracted considerable attention on the small screen as Don Draper's beleaguered and bitchy wife in AMC's smash hit Mad Men. Director Collett-Serra, who's made several popular music videos, is best known in movie circles for his 2005 remake of House of Wax and last year's Orphan, in which Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard got a lot more than they bargained for when they adopted a nine-year-old girl. Genuinely creepy.
The Sunset Limited
Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson
Directed by Tommy Lee Jones
Release date February (HBO Films, wide)
Tie-in from Vintage Books: The Sunset Limited by Cormac McCarthy (trade)
For a celebrated author who's won a Pulitzer, National Book Award, and National Book Critics Circle Award, Cormac McCarthy's been highly visible on Tinseltown's radar of late. His 2005 novel No Country for Old Men became a 2007 film that snagged four Oscars, including Best Picture, and The Road, written in 2005, was in multiplexes last year starring Viggo Mortensen. The screen adaptation of The Sunset Limited, "a novel in dramatic form," in which the only characters—White, a professor, and Black, an ex-con and ex-addict—collide in a series of opposing world views, stars two of filmdom's best-known and charismatic leading men. Look for sparks to fly.
Any Human Heart
Starring Gillian Anderson, Kim Cattrall, Matthew Macfadyen
Directed by Todd Haynes
Release date February (PBS Masterpiece Classic)
Tie-in from Vintage Books: Any Human Heart by William Boyd (trade)
Haynes, whose Far from Heaven earned four Oscar nominations and won numerous film critics circle awards, has two films on this roster (see Mildred Pierce, below). Here, his sumptuous period sensibility is a perfect fit for Boyd's fictional autobiography of British writer Logan Gonzago Mountstuart (1906–1991). Fitting in nicely are Anderson and Macfadyen, whose credits include several period pieces (for her, House of Mirth and Bleak House; for him, Little Dorrit and Pride and Prejudice). And Cattrall might be a surprise: given her recent stage credits—Shakespeare's Cleopatra in Liverpool and Noel Coward's Private Lives in London's West End—she's evidently bent on shedding her Sex and the City persona. This three-part series is set to air February 13, 20, and 27.
| march |
Jane Eyre
Starring Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Judi Dench
Directed by Cary Fukunaga
Release date March 11 (Focus Features, limited)
Tie-in from Vintage Books: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (hardcover, trade, e-book [will include screenplay])
Talk about remakes. Jane's nearly two dozen film and TV versions listed on IMDb.com range chronologically from a 50-minute 1914 silent movie to a 2006 British TV miniseries. Of course the classic, as noted earlier, is the 1943 film starring Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles. Other incarnations include a 1983 BBC miniseries, a 1968 Greek version, and, from 1996, Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre—lest there be no authorial confusion. The newest Jane appeared in The Kids Are All Right and played the title role in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland; Fukanaga directed and wrote last year's Sin Nombre, which won the Directing Award at Sundance plus several film critics association awards.
Miral
Starring Freida Pinto, Willem Dafoe, Vanessa Redgrave
Directed by Julian Schnabel
Release date March 25 (The Weinstein Company, limited)
Novel from Penguin: Miral by Rula Jebreal (trade, 12,000; Nov. 3, 2010)
Artist and director Schnabel directed Before Night Falls, Javier Bardem's breakthrough Academy Award–nominated role, and the critically acclaimed (and four-time Oscar-nominated) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. His international recognition includes winning a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a César, and a Golden Palm.
Mildred Pierce
Starring Kate Winslet, Evan Rachel Wood, Guy Pearce
Directed by Todd Haynes
Release date March (HBO)
Tie-in from Vintage Books: Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain (trade)
A period classic gets dolled up for the 21st century as a five-hour miniseries. Cain's steamy 1941 novel became an iconic 1945 film noir starring Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth, Eve Arden, and other noted supporting players of the time. The screen version earned six Academy Award nominations; Joan Crawford—in high Mommy Dearest mode—brought home the only Oscar of her three nominations as a Depression-era mom. (One of the original film's posters trumpets, "The kind of Woman most men want—but shouldn't have!") Expect fabulous sets, clothes, and cinematography from Haynes (who's also coauthoring the script)—but can the multitalented Winslet channel the one and only Crawford? Check out trailers on YouTube.
| april |
Water for Elephants
Starring Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christopher Waltz
Directed by Francis Lawrence
Release date April (Fox Studios, wide)
Tie-in from Algonquin: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (trade paper, 400,000; mass market, 750,000)
A notably diverse award-winning threesome offers something for everybody in the adaptation of Gruen's long-running bestseller (85 weeks on PW's list)—the hunk du jour who handsomely doffed his shirt in the Stephenie Meyer Twilight movies; last year's dark horse Best Supporting Actor for Inglourious Basterds; and the golden girl (and Best Actress) who sang for her supper as Walk the Line's June Carter Cash. The supporting cast includes the venerable Hal Holbrook and the dependably sturdy James Frain, whose heavy-duty TV credits include True Blood and The Tudors.
Game of Thrones
Starring Sean Bean, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage
Directed by Tim Van Patten, Brian Kirk, Daniel Minahan, Alan Taylor
Release date spring (HBO)
Tie-in from Bantam: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (250,000 combined trade and mass market, Mar. 22)
Game is the first of four current titles in Martin's wildly popular fantasy series A Song of Fire and Ice (next up is A Dance with Dragons). The HBO series—the first 10 episodes of which are currently being filmed—is billed as the biggest cast ever assembled for an HBO project. Because of the immense size and diversity of the world in Martin's Song, HBO is filming in two very different locations: Ireland (Martin recently visited the set in Belfast) and Malta.
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All Singing! All Dancing!
We're pretty sure this is a first—two Broadway musicals with book tie-ins. And both have strong movie connections: one started life on the big screen, the other has formerly appeared there.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Starring Daniel Radcliffe
Directed by Rob Ashford
Opening date March 27
Book tie-in from Simon & Schuster: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying by Shepherd Mead (trade, Feb. 1)
Two words will determine the success of this one: Daniel Radcliffe. Yup, Harry's all grown up and ready to carry—so the producers hope—his very own Broadway show. (According to S&S, he'll be paired with an as-yet-unnamed Hollywood star.) The original production of How to Succeed opened October 14, 1961; it starred Robert Morse (currently of AMC's Mad Men) as brash but adorable J. Pierpont Finch, won a Pulitzer Prize and a Best Musical Tony, and ran for 1,417 performances, closing March 6, 1965. (A 1995 revival starring Matthew Broderick ran for 548 performances.) Morse repeated his role in the 1967 film version, which had nowhere near the success of its Great White Way production.
Catch Me If You Can
Starring Norbert Leo Butz, Aaron Tveit, Tom Wopat
Directed by Jack O'Brien
Opening date April 10
Book tie-in from Broadway: Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale Jr.
No Broadway antecedent for this one, although there was a 1965 comedy of the same name that starred the late Tom Bosley and ran for a paltry 103 performances. The "real" Catch Me, of course, was the 2002 film—no singing, no dancing—that starred Matt Damon, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, et al. and grossed an impressive $165 million. The new musical version boasts music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who won Tony awards for their smash hit, Hairspray—another 2002 hit, which, in a serendipitous turn, also originated as a movie.
