Rev Stan's film blog

Ben Whishaw reveals his Cloud Atlas characters - was I right?

A great little interview with Mr W surfaced today in which he gave details of the three characters he'll be playing in the Cloud Atlas film adaptation and more besides.

Apparently the actors will be gender swapping as well as playing multiple roles.

Not long ago I wrote a post about which characters I thought he might play and I'm pleased to announced that I got, er, one correct but then the gender swapping wasn't something I'd factored in.

He is indeed playing Robert Frobisher but he's also playing a woman in the Luisa Rey story which is set in the 1970s. Now there are numerous characters that he could be. There is a youngish PR woman at the nuclear plant and I'm sure one of Luisa's fellow journalists is a woman. There is an older woman who is a protester at the nuclear plant too.

It will be really interesting to see him play a woman and the interview seems to imply that the gender swap is something he is relishing. I bet he'll get the physical performance down pat and he has a not wholly masculine face.

I'm really pleased he's getting to play Frobisher as that was the character I immediately could see him playing - he's witty, intelligent, talented and roguish. He's also bisexual and *spoiler alert* has quite a tragic ending to his story, so plenty for Mr W to get his acting teeth into.

Am a bit disappointing he's not going to be playing Adam Ewing (Jim Sturgess surely?) or Zachary, although the latter was a long shot.

Filming begins mid-September and hopefully news of the other actors characters will start to float out now. I'm just trying to imagine Tom Hanks as a woman...

 

Ben Whishaw in the new Bond film?

This story started circulating an hour ago about rumours that Stan fav Ben Whishaw is going to be in the new James Bond film, directed by Sam Mendes.

If it is true I really hope he plays a villain. I've bored anyone who cares to listen, and probably even written about it on this blog before too, about how I'd love to see him play a baddie. I think he would have a lot of fun with it, and after all he likes cats which is kind of essential for a Bond villain ;0)

The filming is set to begin in November which would fit in with his current known work schedule ie Cloud Atlas which is due to start filming next month.

Naturally I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for news

The guessing which characters Ben Whishaw is playing in Cloud Atlas post

Been meaning to write this post about the casting for Tom Twyker Cloud Atlas film for a while, almost entirely for my own enjoyment but also to put my marker in the sand before full casting details are finally revealed (which can't be long now as filming starts in September).

Among the titbits that have been made public is that Hugo Weaving is playing seven characters and Mr W is playing more than one. What that means for the other actors and whether they will all have multiple roles, I don't know. And if they do have more than one part, will they have one major character and others minor or more than one biggie? Lots of questions. But anyway, this is what I reckon for the moment.

For Ben Whishaw in order of likelihood:

Robert Frobisher - the bi-sexual musician. When I was reading the book it's the first character that screamed Mr W at me. Adding further evidence to the case is this recent interview in which he says he's learning to play the piano for the film.

Adam Ewing - the young solicitor on a voyage with Henry Goose in the first story.

Archivist - a bit of a curve ball because that story is set in a futuristic Korea and we know that Somni 451 is being played by Doona Bae, although Natalie Portman was originally cast before dropping out when she got pregnant.

Daniel Day Lewis or Ben Whishaw: Who should play Charles Dickens?

Keen-eyed Ben Whishaw fans, among whom I count myself, will have seen a story circulating this week that Daniel Day Lewis and the man himself are both being considered to play literary giant Charles Dickens in a biopic about his secret affair with a young woman, Nelly Ternan, called The Invisible Woman.

Naturally I'm excited about any potential new project for Mr W and this one has the makings of a corker not only because it has the expert hands of Abi Morgan writing but also thesp Ralph Fiennes directing.

But I'm curious as to why our Ben would be up against Daniel Day Lewis. While similar in their approaches to acting - Day Lewis is very picky about projects - they are both very different in age: 30 and 54.

According to the fount of all knowledge that is Wikipedia, Charles Dickens was 45 when he met the 18-year-old Nelly so neither is a perfect fit age-wise and either choice is going to bring a very different dynamic to the story.

Dickens was a fascinating man, extraordinarily talented, hard-working and successful. He was also intensely romantic but got frustrated with his marriage and wasn't particularly nice to his wife, with whom he had 10 children. His relationship with Nelly only came to light after his death.

Fiennes has apparently met with Imogen Poot, Felicity Jones and Abbie Cornish as potential Nelly's. Mr W has of course worked with the latter two (The Tempest and Bright Star), he has also worked with Abi Morgan too (The Hour). So there is already a bit of chemistry there which might put him in a good position.

What a cast (and a bit of a Harry Potter reunion)?

I've already pencilled this one into my cinema diary for 2012, for the cast alone. It's a remake of the film of the John Le Carre novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and, wait for it...deep breath...it not only has just signed Rev Stan's new fav Benedict Cumberbatch but already has:

Gary Oldman AKA Sirius Black but who has been in so many great films but the two things I always associate him with (other than HP) is Dracula and, as a director of Nil By Mouth.

Michael Fassbender who first came to my attention in the brilliant Brit Indie Fish Tank (I'm ignoring Inglorious Basterds purely because the film as a whole was dire).

Ralph Fiennes who is always Voldemort for me but I know he's done lots of other great stuff like the English Patient and I just love him in In Bruges - have also seen him tread the boards a couple of times.

David Thewlis, Remus Lupin in HP

and

Colin Firth.

I know Colin Firth the lovely, lovely and brilliant Colin Firth who every now and again steps out from the shadows of rom-com and does something amazing like A Single Man.

Ben Whishaw swaps big screen for HBO for next role (now with extra info)

This technically isn't a film-related post - but I know a few Ben fans sometimes stop by to read my ramblings so I'm writing it anyway (it's my blog and I'll break the rules as and when I see fit). Besides I'm just so excited there is finally some Mr W casting news, I've got to write about it somewhere.

So, he is to take the lead in a new HBO pilot by Alan "True Blood" Ball about a man who cleans ups crime scenes.

It is based on crime noir novel The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston (guess what I'll be shopping for today?) but for TV will be called All Signs of Death. Ben's character, the wonderfully named Webster Fillmore Goodhue, from what I can glean from the web is a bit of slacker. However, he finds that his job helps him deal with his own past but gets embroiled in a potentially life threatening mystery.

One of the best cast films of next year?

The cast of upcoming X Men First Class just gets more and more interesting. Not only does it have Stanley favourites James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender and the interesting Aaron Johnson but now Nicholas Hoult has joined the team.

It's good to see acting talent being chosen over brawn and looks for a comic book movie and with Matthew Vaughn at the helm it is definitely going to be on my watch list next year.

Meryl Streep to play Margaret Thatcher?

Apparently Meryl Streep is in negotiations to play Margaret Thatcher in a new film about the former British Prime Minister scripted by Julian Fellowes. And my immediate reaction is: eh?

I normally don't have a problem with American actors playing Brits and vice versa - if they can master the accent then it shouldn't matter - but there are certain roles that it just doesn't seem, well, quite right. It would be like having an American Harry Potter, for example.

Naturally there are questions as to why it isn't Helen Mirren but I don't think we have to roll out the Dame for every big Brit biopic.

I'm sure Meryl would do a great job but there must be other British actors who could do just as well. But who?

Interesting that Jim Broadbent is up to play Denis. Now that is genius casting.

Michael Sheen and Toni Collette cast in Jesus Henry

Came across this story over on Talking Films about a film comedy in which Michael Sheen and Toni Collette have been cast opposite each other.

I've long been an admirer of Toni Collette, she's an actress with great depth and happens to have been in a couple of my favourite comfort films: Muriel's Wedding and Little Miss Sunshine.

And then there is Michael Sheen who is an outstanding actor (I'm hoping to get to see him play Hamlet on the stage next year). He doesn't shy away from working on contrasting projects - he's played Tony Blair, David Frost and Aro the head vampire in Twilight! I think he'll do a good turn in a comedy.

It's definitely a film I'm going to be looking out for.