Franka Potente Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I'm of the mind that Franka Potente needs to get some mainstream work that stretches beyond the confines of sexy girl for Matt Damon or Johnny Depp. Usually, that would lead me to grumble over another indie thriller she was involving herself with, but this time, it might be worth it. Twitch reports that Julian Gilbey, the man behind Rise of the Footsoldier and Rollin' with the Nines, is gearing up for a pretty cool cliffside thriller, and Potente will star. There's a bit of confusion on just what this project is about, and unfortunately, I think this plot will decide it all.

On the official website, the outlined story details a couple taking a trip into the Rocky Mountains, and how Franka flees into the woods when a hunting party kills her man in a drug-induced panic, and how said party tries to chase her down to keep their hides safe. Typical, and not very fresh.

However, the story that's outlined in the below concept reel outlines a different, and more intriguing story. It says that this project will focus on some climbers high in the mountains who find a young girl buried alive -- the victim of a kidnapping plot. Franka's character tries to help while a group of mercenaries hired to rescue the girl hunt them down. I'd take two groups fighting for a girl's safety over creepy drug-hazed hunters any day -- lots more to explore and dig into. Regardless, this should make for an interesting film, since the concept reel is all about Gilbey actually getting out there and climbing mountains himself for the project. Furthermore, he talks about the importance of not relying on sets, which makes for an interesting 5 minutes, and potentially, a film to keep your eye on.

She might not get the chance to shine as Pope Joan, but it looks like Run Lola Run star Franka Potente is getting a different dramatic chance to shine. Variety reports that she is going to headline a new lost-at-sea film called Wave -- joining the likes of Dougray Scott and Marianne Faithful.

Based on Louise Longo's Let Me Survive, the film will focus on an English family -- mom (Potente) plus husband and 5-year-old daughter -- who set out for a three-week cruise on the Bay of Biscay. But a storm rushes in as they're just 40 miles from the Spanish coast, and the family decide that they'd be safer in the life raft, waiting to be rescued. But Bernard is injured getting into the liferaft and dies, as does the young girl. And that's not the end of the story -- after being rescued two weeks later, "she's then alleged to have killer her husband."

Basically, this is really meaty fare that I think Potente can excel at. She's got the chops, and just needs a chance to showcase them. Maria Ripoll (Tortilla Soup) will direct, from an adaptation penned by Marie-Laure Bertehlin and Greg Latter. And while I'm usually against similar, or repetitive competing pictures, this would be excellently matched with Gabriel Garcia Marquez's The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor -- one outlining the loss of family while the other deals with isolated, inner turmoil. Any takers?

It was a bummer to learn that Franka Potente was backing out of Pope Joan back in May, but it looks like she's found herself another weighty gig to add to her plate. Variety reports that she has signed on to star in a new German drama called Flucht aus Tibet, otherwise known as Escape from Tibet. The film, which is based on a true story, will be the big-screen debut for writer and director Maria Blumencron.

Heading out of Che Guevara territory, Potente is moving over to Tibet to play Judy Cronenberg. The woman was a press photographer who led "a group of refugee Tibetan children over the Himalayas to safety nine years ago." There's nothing more being said about the story, which seems to be surprisingly free from the Internet (anyone know the details?), but it is a big German project. The film has received FFF Bayern's largest film funding -- $1.1 million.

It should be a little bit of time before we get to see Tibet, but in the meantime, of course, we can watch her play Tania in Steven Soderbergh's The Argentine and Guerilla.

Next time Terry Gilliam gets down about his bad luck, he should talk to Constantin Film about Pope Joan. In October of 2006, Franka Potente signed on. In April 2007, John Goodman got sued for backing out of the feature. That made production stop. Then director Volker Schlöndorff was fired over comments he made to a paper. Last we heard, there was a new director, Sönke Wortmann, but that was last August.

And I just had to go and say: "How funny would it be if she could no longer do it? Also disappointing, since I'd love to see her really command a period piece." The Hollywood Reporter posts that due to scheduling conflicts from the rampant delays, Franka is out and German actress Johanna Wokalek is in as Pope Joan. That news just, well, sucks. It would've been a great opportunity for Franka, and Wokalek isn't well-known stateside, which could affect the production further.

But here's where things get weird. It seems that although he was sued and left eons ago, "Constantin said Wednesday that it remains in talks with Goodman and that the actor could still join the cast." That would certainly help foreign cred, but is he really still around? Is this just due to the lawsuit? The whole production just seems like a mess.

Should I even bother saying that principle photography is now set for August, with the film's release set for 2009? Will this come to fruition, or are more problems on the way?

This week, there are a few solid DVD choices that are already floating around the Cinematicalverse. You can check out Erik's review of the Cloverfield DVD, my review of the Charlie Wilson's War disc, or Peter's indie picks, which includes the somber but enjoyable Starting Out in the Evening. However, there's one release that hasn't been discussed yet:

Romulus, My Father
When the film got its limited release in February, it came and went without a bang -- pulling in less than $3,000 (according to IMDb), even though it hit a few million in the Australian box office. But with the names and performances behind it, this film, based on Raimond Gaita's memoir, deserves another look.

Eric Bana stars as Romulus, balancing out the truly disappointing Lucky You, and proving that there's more to the actor than his less-loved one-two punch of Hulk and Troy. There's Franka Potente as his wife, Christina -- a role which allows her to be more than Bourne's fallen paramour, or an energetic, red-haired Lola. And rounding out the small family is Kodi Smit-McPhee, who plays Raimond. While he's under the radar now, that will surely change once he gets in front of mainstream audiences with The Road. (There's some solid acting chops in that kid.) But there's also actor Richard Roxburgh (The Duke in Moulin Rouge) making his directorial debut.

The Australian Film Institute Awards -- the Aussie Oscars -- have been announced, and it looks like a majority of the the big winners came from the same two films. I guess it's a pretty open race over there in a year without a new Crocodile Dundee film. But seriously folks, I kid the Australian people! I kid because I love. The big acting winners were Eric Bana (Hulk, Troy, Munich) and Joan Chen (Twin Peaks, Lust, Caution). Bana won for his role in Richard Roxburgh's Romulus, My Father -- which was also named Best Picture of the Year. Romulus co-stars Run Lola Run's Franka Potente and tells the story of "a post World War Two migrant family dealing with isolation in Australia and a mother struggling with mental illness." Oooo, sounds like a fun one! You can read Monika's not-too-impressed review of Romulus here.

Chen won Best Actress for The Home Song Stories, in which she plays "a glamorous Shanghai nightclub singer who struggles to survive in 1970s Australia with her two young children." Sheesh! I guess the depressing films get the same praise Down Under that they do here in the states. Get the family together, pop some popcorn, and have a little double feature with these two good timey Saturday night flicks! The Home Song Stories also won awards for: Best Direction (Tony Ayres), Best Screenplay (Ayres again), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Original Music Score, and Best Production Design. How exactly did it miss Best Picture?

The big screen is about to get a taste of (more) war and dysfunction:

• In the wake of guns, redaction, and other war films, we're about to get a taste of some military scrubs. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Oscar winner Terry Sanders' latest documentary, Fighting for Life, has been picked up by Truly Indie for a US theatrical release. The doc focuses on three interweaving stories -- the doctors/nurses/medics who work in Iraq, wounded fighters, and USU med students aiming to become military doctors. Sanders has been at this for eons -- he won his first Oscar in 1955 for the short A Time Out of War. If experience is any indication, this should be a notable film to check out. Truly Indie will get the documentary in theaters this March.
• During TIFF, I got to see and review Richard Roxburgh's feature directorial debut, Romulus, My Father -- a slow, albeit decent family drama. The film is based on the memoir by writer Raimond Gaita, and covers his young life as his dedicated father (Eric Bana) struggles to be a good father to him while his mother (Franka Potente) does all she can to flee from the responsibility of motherly duty. Now Variety reports that Magnolia Pictures has nabbed distribution rights to the Australian drama. Prexy Eamonn Bowles says: "Eric Bana is a great actor, and this was a great performance from him; I think people will respond to it very strongly." While the film will hit the big screen at some point, it seems, Magnolia is planning to first release it to lucky HDNet Ultra VOD subscribers first.

Simple and understated, Romulus, My Father begins with Romulus Gaita (Eric Bana) and his son, Raimond (Kodi Smit-McPhee). A light bulb sways in the black of night, and the father attempts to teach his son about life. He is holding a handful of still and lifeless wasps. As the warmth of the light passes over them, they stir, and he brings the insects back to life in front of the amazed eyes of Raimond. The lesson is simple: with warmth, life will thrive. It is an ideal that the elder Gaita models his life upon, and while it continues to fail him in his own life, he is fueled by Raimond taking the lesson to heart.

Coming from Raimond Gaita's noted memoir, Romulus, My Father follows the writer's young life in 1960's Australia. His family has emigrated from Eastern Europe, and now find their life divided. Father and son live alone in the country, receiving only sporadic visits from unreliable wife and mother Christina (Franka Potente). Romulus allows this because he loves Christina, and believes that she needs him. Raimond is an ideal kid, one who remains optimistic and loving in the shadow of his mother's absence. It is, however, an optimism that is continually challenged as his father is beaten by the hardships that life hurls at him time and time again.

One might see a bunch of huge snags as a good reason to re-think the making of a film, but not Constantin Films -- and let's hope that's because they've got a real keeper. Back in April, John Goodman was sued for backing out of the production of Pope Joan. Soon after, production was halted. As if that wasn't enough, July brought about the firing of the film's director -- Volker Schlöndorff. He had criticized the company's habit of making extended versions of their films for television (they plan to do just that with Joan). Undeterred, Variety has reported that Constantin Film has selected The Miracle of Bern and Deutschland. A Summer Fairytale helmer Sönke Wortmann to take over the directorial chair.

With the director in place, they're now hoping to get production going early next year, with Franka Potente still tapped to star. (How funny would it be if she could no longer do it? Also disappointing, since I'd love to see her really command a period piece.) The film is an adaptation of Donna Woolfolk Cross' bestseller Pope Joan, which tells the legend of a ninth-century woman who disguised herself as a man and ascended the papal throne -- but was later found out when she had a baby during a procession from St. Peter's. Oops. I have to say -- having the sex when you're not only the Pope, but a female one at that, is pretty risky. Assuming the production hits no more snags, we should be able to see it for ourselves in a year or two.

It is now anybody's guess when Pope Joan will go into production. You may remember that the adaptation of Donna Cross's novel hit a snag back in April because John Goodman abruptly departed the film. He was subsequently sued, and production of the film, which was supposed to start shooting in May, was put on hold. Now, the film has also lost its director, Volker Schlöndorff (The Tin Drum), who has been fired. Constantin Films gave Schlöndorff the pink slip following the filmmaker's remarks to a newspaper about his problems with Constantin's practice of simultaneously making extended versions of its films for play on television (ooh, does that mean there's a longer cut of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer out there for my enjoyment?). I'm not sure what his stated problems were, whether he feels the practice makes audiences more patient to wait for films to hit their TV sets or if he simply has a problem with his work being out of his control and released in a cut that isn't his own.

The film will (eventually) star Franka Potente (The Bourne Identity) as the title character, a woman who pretends she's a man and manages to become Pope for two years in the 9th century. Although this film is based on a recent novel, Pope Joan is a legendary figure in history, and may have actually existed. She was previously portrayed by Liv Ullman in a 1972 film from director Michael Anderson. It should be a monumental role for Potente, who follows such Oscar-winning, cross-dressing actresses as Hilary Swank, Gwyneth Paltrow and Linda Hunt (plus cross-dressing/cross-gendering nominees Felicity Huffman, Julie Andrews and Ingrid Bergman). Pope Joan had been re-set to begin shooting in six weeks (they must have finally replaced Goodman), but it will probably be delayed again while Constantin searches for a new director. Meanwhile, Schlöndorff will just have to look forward to screening his latest, Ulzhan, at Toronto this fall.