NickStahl Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Here's a round-up of today's news:

• Jamie Kennedy is going to produce an indie called In Northwood, which stars Nick Stahl as a man condemned to a mental hospital after committing murder. THR
• Cocaine Cowboys has picked itself up a scribe -- gonzo journalist and screenwriter Evan Wright. THR
  
• Everyone's favorite pot-smoking Jay, aka Jason Mewes, has nabbed a starring role in the indie slasher flick Silent But Deadly, which shoots in Ontario next month. Variety
• Phillip Noyce, meanwhile, is going to hit the plank and write the remake of Captain Blood. THR
• Check out Jennifer's blood-dripping lips, which just so happens to look like a certain television poster that was released recently. JoBlo
  
• Get ready for Robot Chicken: Star Wars: Episode 2! Coming Soon
• Posters: The Day The Earth Stood Still and Max Payne

Sleepwalking stars Charlize Theron -- but she disappears from the screen for about two-thirds of the film. It's set in the American West -- but shot in Canada. It's about family, pain, loss, renewal -- all of which are discussed, and discussed more elegantly, in other films at Sundance this year. It even has what's become a fairly standard-issue Sundance finale, as a character hits the open road with a bright future ahead of them, aside from the murder rap in their rear view mirror. It's not that Sleepwalking is bad, per se; it's just that it's inert, a space-and-schedule filler that can now put the words "Sundance Premiere Selection" on the DVD box when it goes straight-to-video.

Joleen Reedy (Theron) has one of those lives where all the things that go wrong keep her harried and distracted enough to not notice how many of them are her fault. She's been thrown out of her house because the cops have seized her boyfriend's on-site marijuana gro-op, and she and her daughter Tara (AnnaSophia Robb) move in with her brother James (Nick Stahl). Joleen doesn't even try to get back on her feet -- or, rather, she figures the best way to get back on her feet involves leaving town in pursuit of another man; Tara's left with James, and his strained life implodes under the stress of trying to care for an 11-year-old girl.

To be honest, I'm a little surprised that today is the first day I have heard about the indie-drama Sleepwalking -- mainly because it stars two Oscar-nominated actors. Heck, one of them even won. You would have thought that the marketing department would have had a field day with that kind of award-winning pedigree. Trailer Addict is now hosting the first trailer for this dysfunctional family drama, which stars Charlize Theron, Nick Stahl, AnnaSophia Robb and Dennis Hopper.

Robb plays a young girl who has to come to terms with the fact that her mother (Theron) has abandoned her, and that she has been left with her uncle James (Stahl), who is not ready to deal with raising a kid on his own. Hopper plays the patriarch of this dysfunctional family and by the looks of the trailer, he is making full use of his skill with playing a 'villain.'

Sleepwalking was written by Zac Stanford, who is a relative newcomer, and this was his first feature film script. Bill Maher (no, not that one) directed the dysfunctional weepie, and is also relatively new to the directing game. (So far, Maher has spent most of his career as a visual effects artist on films like X-Men and Mars Attacks!) The movie was chosen to be a part of the Sundance slate (you can check out stills from the film from our Sundance coverage here), but there is no word about a release date. One look at the credits would lead me to believe that it probably won't take long before the property is snatched up by a studio.

[via Filmstalker]

How's this for a premise? A young reporter who lost the use of his legs in a childhood car accident is asked to look into a group of handicap "wannabes" before he falls in love with a physically-abled woman who, yep, desperately wants to be a paraplegic. Sounds pretty outlandish, doesn't it? But the truth is that there ARE people out there who'd prefer to be wheelchair-bound -- as "crazy" as that might sound to you and me. Strange but true, folks, and Carlos Brooks' oddly illuminating Quid Pro Quo does an appreciably good job of delving into some rather arcane issues.

Although he needs a wheelchair to get around, radio journalist Isaac Knot (get it? I Sick. Not.) is by no means disabled. Aside from the fact that he can't stand or walk, Isaac has no problem getting around New York City, chasing down story leads, and handling a fairly normal social life. (Aside from all the skittish single chicks who get freaked out at the sight of a wheelchair, that is, and all those lazy cab drivers.)

But when a decidedly strange story hits the wire -- apparently a man recently walked into a hospital and offered a doctor $250,000 to amputate a perfectly healthy leg -- Isaac becomes intrigued. Professional interest turns into personal business when a mysterious (and sexy!) informant pops up and offers Isaac an odd exclusive: She'll introduce him to the world of "wannabes" if he teaches her what it's like to be stuck in a chair all the time.

I know I'm not completely in the minority with this, but I have to admit first off that I loved Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. I really thought Jonathan Mostow did a great job delivering the action -- obviously not close to as good as James Cameron would have done, but better than many others could have. When it was revealed that a fourth Terminator was in the works, I hoped Mostow would be rehired for the gig. But I guess he's either doing something else (Swiss Family Robinson perhaps?) or for some reason he's not welcome back. According to CHUD.com, his replacement on the franchise may be McG, who I find to be one of the most annoying guys working in Hollywood these days. Really, though, I just hate on the guy because of his stupid name. I guiltily kinda enjoyed his two Charlie's Angels movies. Apparently, McG is currently in talks to take the helm of the sequel, for a pre-strike production start, but it isn't for certain that he'll get the job.

I'm sure many of you will probably be upset if McG officially signs on, even if you too just criticize him for his name. It could be the nail on the coffin for a lot of fans already nervous about the continuation of the storyline without any definite sign of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Robert Patrick, Edward Furlong, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes or anyone else who has previously starred in the series. From what we've so far heard, it seems part 4 will focus on the post-apocalyptic period involving the war between the machines and John Connor's army. Everything else, regarding an Arnie cameo, or whatever, I'm still considering to be hearsay. Anyway, all I care about now is that at least Terminator 4 has been scripted by T3's Michael Ferris and John D. Brancato, a duo I'm sure are well-enough-versed in the Terminator universe to make this next installment interesting and worth seeing.

Years ago, a fan-girl friend of mine convinced me to stand in the cold, pouring rain to meet Gavin Rossdale. We did, he was very nice to my hyperventilating friend and I have kept my eye on him ever since. Yet somehow, this new indie film slipped under my radar, until today. There's a new flick on the pike called How to Rob a Bank, and it stars the Bush frontman along with Nick Stahl (Sin City) and Erika Christensen (The Upside of Anger). It's about a guy named Jinx (Stahl) who gets mighty irked when he can't withdraw his last $20 because the transaction fee will overdraw him, ends up getting thrown in the middle of a bank heist and finds himself locked in a bank vault with Jessica (Christensen), while thief Simon (Rossdale) fumes from the outside trying to get in.

From there, the film has a bunch of interwoven stories, twists and turns. You can check out a synopsis at the film's website here; however, it seems ridiculously detailed and spoilery to me. There's also a trailer up on YouTube, which doesn't look like any stellar achievement in cinema, but seems fun nonetheless... Or, maybe not. It screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival last month, and The Hollywood Reporter has just thrown up a review, saying: "Despite having such semi-name performers as Nick Stahl and Erika Christensen in the cast, this film has zero boxoffice potential." The review continues on, panning the setting, so-so performances, dialogue -- the meat and bones of the picture. Basically, it sounds like a crapshoot. That being said, I'm sure it'll at least draw in fans of the three top actors, and at least there's a soundtrack including bands like The Dandy Warhols and Duran Duran.

Slight morsels for you:

• So we've been filling you in on the upcoming Terminator 4 sequel, which last had rumors of an Arnie return. Now the folks at JoBlo say that Nick Stahl is considering a return in the role that Edward Furlong made famous. (He is part of the "option package" for upcoming sequels.) I'd be surprised if he didn't. We've been robbed of Carnivale, and he's already wrapped up the other films on his docket -- Quid Pro Quo, Ferris Wheel and The Speed of Thought.
• I've finally got some more news for you on Zach Braff's upcoming flick, Andrew Henry's Meadow. In March, there were rumblings that he would be penning an adaptation with his brother, Adam, and Barry Sonnenfeld was in talks to direct it. In an interview with VH1, he's now saying that Cory Edwards will be directing the film, which Braff describes as "if Terry Gilliam had directed The Goonies." It will be his first live-action movie, so I'm curious to see how he deals with the outcast kids who team up to save their parents, like Erik described here.
• Finally, there's more cast to add to the upcoming thriller that Jessica Barnes told us about last month, Pathology, which stars super-absorby hero Milo Ventimiglia. He, Alyssa Milano and Lauren Lee Smith will be joined by Keir O'Donnell, who was one of the Clearys in Wedding Crashers, Michael Weston whose last feature role was the dysfunctional dumpee in The Last Kiss and Mei Melancon, who was Psylocke in X-Men: The Last Stand. The film will get shopped at Cannes, and I'm sure someone will pick it up. What studio can refuse a bunch of young actors starring as medical students who make a game to see who can commit the perfect murder?

As if she wasn't already busy enough, super-hot Charlize Theron has now signed on to yet another indie project she will apparently try to squeeze in before the end of the year -- the drama Ferris Wheel, written by Zac Stanford of The Chumscrubber and directed by first-time helmer Bill Maher.

By getting on Ferris Wheel, Theron joins a cast that already includes Nick Stahl, Woody Harrelson, Anna Sophia Robb and indie film vet Dennis Hopper. In addition to acting, Theron will also be producing the film, which tells the story of an 11 year-old girl's struggle to come to terms with abandonment, through her Denver and Delilah production company -- along with Film Engine and Infinity Features.

This announcement is a rather unexpected development considering I recently reported Theron was next going to star in fiance Stuart Townsend's writing/directing debut Battle in Seattle. That film was supposed to start filming in November too. Now, with this film, it seems things have changed a bit on the Battle front.

Perhaps Battle in Seattle is being delayed because of those pesky "creative differences" that can sometimes crop up? Or, maybe its simply a case of "being directed by your fiance" - itis? Or, it could just be financial. Whatever the reasons, it would appear Battle is now going to be back-burnered and Ferris Wheel will take its place as Theron's project du jour. Who gets to break the bad news to Stuart Townsend?

Ferris Wheel is expected to begin shooting in November on location in Canada.

Odds and ends from Monday:

• So, it appears telekinetic powers are a hot commodity in Hollywood these days. First there was Doug Liman's, Jumper, and now Nick Stahl and Taryn Manning have signed on to The Speed of Thought. Pic focuses on a "scoper" (Stahl) who helps the government by utilizing his powers, even after he's told they are part of a disease and will ultimately drive him insane. Somewhere along the way he meets a woman (Manning) with similar telekinetic abilities, and the two team up to find out what's really going on. [via Empire]
• Even though Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence has come on to direct the upcoming Fletch Won, leaving most to assume Zach Braff would soon follow and sign on to play Fletch himself, the actor has yet to sign on the dotted line. In an interview with IESB, Braff notes, ""No I am not definitely doing Fletch Won, I am thinking about it but I am not definitely signed on." But, why? Personally, I think there are better Flecth's (ahem, Jason Lee) out there, though there's no denying the chemistry between Lawrence and Braff. What do you think? Will he sign?
• While speaking to press at the Edinburgh Film Festival, Steven Soderbergh admitted that Ocean's Thirteen will indeed be the last and final Ocean's-related film. In fact, the only reason they're even doing an Ocean's Thirteen is because George Clooney was upset with Ocean's Twelve (he thought it was too complicated) and wanted to revive the comedic aspect from the first film. Hey, that's cool -- but what if no one finds Ocean's Thirteen funny? Will George want to keep making them until they get it right? [via Coming Soon]

According to a good source at AICN, the role of Angel in the upcoming X-Men 3 film will be played by up and coming young actor, Nick Stahl. Many people probably know him as the guy who played Yellow Bastard in Sin City, or as John Conner in T3. Expect public notice release after the teaser trailer that will appear before the Fantastic Four this weekend.

I actually think this is a good bit of casting. Still, call me cynical if you will, but all the good casting in the world can't save a hack director.