Von Donnersmarck eyeing presidential drama

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is in talks to direct Warner Bros. drama “The 28th Amendment,” which has emerged as a strong contender to be one of Tom Cruise’s next star vehicles.
The German helmer hasn’t directed a film since his 2006 pic “The Lives of Others” won the foreign-language film Oscar, and he recently signed with UTA to move into Hollywood films.

According to sources, the filmmaker is in talks with the studio to make the movie with Cruise. “Star Trek” scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the duo that originated the project as a spec in 1999, are rewriting the script.

The drama revolves around a U.S. president who discovers the existence of a secret cabal that runs the government and wants him dead.

Basil Iwanyk and Richard Donner are producers.

Cruise had been mentioned as being keen on the movie last year, possibly to pair with Denzel Washington, but chatter on the film died down.

Cruise came off “Valkyrie” with an aggressive mission to find new projects — he is currently considering five different pictures for two potential 2009 slots — but “28th Amendment” recently emerged as a strong candidate, its chances helped by the highly regarded von Donnersmarck.

Among the other projects Cruise is considering is MGM’s “The Matarese Circle”; Spyglass’ “The Tourist”; DreamWorks’ “Motorcade”; Fox’s “Wichita”; and Universal/Working Title’s “Lost for Words.”

(Source: Variety)

Reuters calls it “a long-gestating Warner Bros. project about conspiracy and intimidation at the White House” and adds that:

“Amendment” has been described as “The Firm” set in the White House. Its premise is that for a good part of the 20th century, the president has been the puppet of a small, lethal gang that kills anyone who defies its wishes (JFK did and paid the price, according to one iteration of the script).

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Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s film Eyes Wide Shut has topped a poll of the 20 most underrated movies.

The Stanley Kubrick film, in which Tom and Nicole starred while they were still a couple in 1999, was voted into first place by readers of totalfilm.com.

It was followed by Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown and Terry Gilliam’s Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, which starred Hollywood heartthrob Johnny Depp.

Also in the top 20 was the late Heath Ledger’s romcom 10 Things I Hate About You, and Tom Hanks’ widely panned Cast Away.

Ralph Fiennes’ Strange Days and Tom Cruise’s movie Vanilla Sky also made it into the list of underrated flicks.

(Source: Press Association)

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At least five suitors want actor to say yes

When Tom Cruise became attached last week to play a Russian spy in the David Cronenberg-directed adaptation of the Robert Ludlum thriller “The Matarese Circle,” the MGM pic became just one of several films vying for his next slot.

With his career now steered by a team headed by CAA’s Kevin Huvane, Cruise has been more proactive and aggressive than in past years about meeting studio execs and showing interest in a flurry of projects.

There are at least five suitors trying to get Cruise to say yes.

The concerted courtship of Cruise comes at a time when studios are thinking long and hard about which actors deserve to be paid superstar gross deals.

After a couple of rough years that threatened to knock him from that payday perch, Cruise has changed things. And execs have said their enthusiasm for the actor returned after “Valkyrie” did better than expected around the world, and that no major star except Will Smith tubthumps a movie as hard as Cruise.

The top three candidates for Cruise’s next slot appear to be:
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New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) Despite directing actors like Sir Ian McKellen, Kevin Spacey, Hugh Jackman and Brandon Routh in his previous films, Hollywood director Bryan Singer is all praise for superstar Tom Cruise, who stars in his latest film “Valkyrie”.

Cruise stars in the lead as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg in “Valkyrie” that is a historical thriller depicting the July 20, 1944, plot by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

“Until now, I was working only with actors and not stars but with this movie (’Valkyrie’), I got to work with a mega star like Tom Cruise. He is down to earth, gets into the story and doesn’t let you feel uncomfortable at all because of his status or anything. I loved working with him,” Singer told IANS over phone from Seoul, South Korea.

The film has also been in the news across the world for multiple controversies apart from speculations for Cruise’s performance as the Nazi officer.

The director and the actors are on a promotional tour for the assassination thriller across Asia, Europe and America. It is releasing in India Feb 20.

(Source: thaindian)

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RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Tom Cruise may sometimes confuse his countries, but he’s winning fans among Brazil’s press corps.

A news conference to promote his movie “Valkyrie” turned into something of a fan club meeting when a journalist said he promised his niece he would get a photo with Cruise. The actor immediately obliged.

That prompted another journalist to squeeze under a barrier for a photo. Guards stopped other reporters from doing the same.

Cruise says he’s enjoying his five-day Brazil trip, but sometimes stumbled over differences between Latin American nations

He thanked one questioner with the Spanish “gracias” — though Brazilians speak Portuguese. And he said he enjoys the tango — the traditional dance of neighboring Argentina.

(Source: The Associated Press)

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“Valkyrie,” starring Tom Cruise as a rebellious Nazi officer, emerged at No. 1 on the international circuit for a second consecutive weekend, grossing an estimated $18.6 million from 3,900 screens in 26 markets and raising its overseas cumulative total to $38.9 million.

The MGM/UA production, handled overseas by 20th Century Fox and other local distributors, opened in 15 markets, finishing on top in at least five, including France and Spain.

In Germany, where “Valkyrie” was filmed, its second weekend produced $2.3 million from 400 locations, lifting its market total to $7.3 million, the largest for any overseas territory the film has played.

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Tom Cruise strikes a pose and waves to the cameras during the Valkyrie photocall at the Hassler Hotel in Rome, Italy on Wednesday (January 28).

In the past few weeks, the 46-year-old actor has been busy on a worldwide promotional tour, making stops in Korea, Russia, London and Berlin (where he was joined by wife Katie Holmes. Next up on the list are Madrid and Rio de Janiero.

(Source: JustJared)

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Cruise back on a winning patch

PROVING once and for all that we should never underestimate the popular appeal of Tom Cruise in an eyepatch, his anti-Hitler thriller Valkyrie led the box office charge over the long weekend.

The film took $2.33 million, which was just barely enough to knock off Bride Wars, which managed a healthy $2.25 million in its second week, bringing its two-week total to a hefty $7.1 million.

All other debuts did very well. Another old-timer also proved he has not lost his edge, with Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino opening at No. 3 with $2.24 million, followed closely by the vampire/werewolf epic Underworld III, which netted $1.9 million. Revolutionary Road had to settle for No. 9 with $1.02 million. Not bad, though the chemistry Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet had in Titanic isn’t quite popping the second time around.

After a meteoric rise fuelled by powerfully positive word of mouth, the arthouse favourite and Oscar hopeful Slumdog Millionaire finally seems to be levelling out. At No. 5, the film, which took $1.5 million across its sixth weekend, added another eight screens but saw its audience grow by exactly 1 per cent.

(Source: The Age)

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Tom Cruise visits Moscow, says childhood dream has come true Moscow, Jan 27 (Itar-Tass) Hollywood star Tom Cruise’s childhood dream has come true — the actor paid a visit to Moscow for the first time.
When he was a child, he dreamed of visiting Moscow and St Petersburg some day, Cruise told the press in Moscow on Monday.

The actor regarded as one of the most handsome men in Hollywood was wearing a black pullover, white shirt and dark trousers. Flashing a smile, he said he came to Russia to present his new film ‘Operation Valkyrie’.

Cruise told the press that he also wanted to make a film in Moscow and would come to Moscow again to do so. He said his impressions of Moscow coincided with his expectations based on what he knew of the great Russian culture and literature.

Cruise, 46, arrived in Moscow late Sunday evening. He stayed in Moscow’s hotel Ritz-Carlton that offers a view of Red Square, Bolshoi Theatre and the History Museum. He said he could not sleep, as he wanted to look out the window all the time.

For an American living in California, to be in Russia and see the Red Square is unforgettable, Cruise said.

‘Operation Valkyrie’ directed by Brian Singer was premiered in Moscow yesterday evening in Pushkinsky cinema house.

In the film about an attempt on Adolph Hitler’s life, Cruise plays the main part, that of Colonel Klaus von Schauffenberg who led the resistance.

(Source: Press Trust of India)

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