ParamountVantage Tagged Articles at Cinematical

1. Twiddle thumbs while waiting for bidding wars to break out -- So Senator Entertainment has already landed domestic distribution for Antoine Fuqua's cop drama, Brooklyn's Finest (they'll probably do right by it and sit it on a shelf right next to All the Boys Love Mandy Lane); now, it's just a matter of waiting for Fox Searchlight to snatch up their next sleeper in waiting, and for either Focus or Paramount Vantage to pick up the rights to something they can't quite turn a profit on *cough1* *cough2*. Modest comfort comes in the form of Searchlight already planning a late-summer release for 500 Days of Summer, and of Sony Pictures Classics reportedly calling dibs on Sam Rockwell's sci-fi drama, Moon. Keep those ears and eyes open, folks.

2. Monitor some seriously similar, sometimes simultaneous Twitter action -- For starters, there's our crew: Snider, then Davis, then Rocchi, and (lastly but not least-ly) new convert Weinberg. Then you have the Onion folks, your CHUD, the IFC one-two, the Spout reps, our HitFix homies, not to mention your /Film and your Film School Rejects and your First Showing (these fellas happen to be sharing accommodations, so expect much echo). Daily posts? Facebook status updates? Please. With a minute-by-minute play-by-play, who needs to go outdoors?

Not much to see here that wasn't covered in the trailer that we passed along a few days ago, but here is the first one-sheet for Nicole Kidman's next film, Margot at the Wedding. Directed by Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) the film focuses on a 40-something woman, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, whose (apparent) spur of the moment decision to get married prompts the arrival of her disapproving sister, Margot, played by Kidman. The advance buzz on this movie is pretty good, with a few sneak reviews saying that the trailer is covering up more serious elements to the storyline, and that Kidman's performance is what will sell the movie. Jack Black plays the almost-husband of Jason Leigh's character, so I think it's safe to say that he'll be balancing out whatever serious intentions the trailer is masking.

Kidman is currently in Australia, shooting the Baz Luhrmann epic of the same name, and is loosely attached to two future projects -- Need, in which she may co-star with Naomi Watts and Wong Kar Wai's The Lady from Shanghai, which has gone through a lot of shifts over the past couple of years. I'm not up on the latest regarding the project, but something tells me you shouldn't hold your breath for it. As for Jennifer Jason Leigh, she'll next be seen opposite Alec Baldwin in Lymelife, a family dramedy about a marriage that is falling apart. Margot at the Wedding is currently scheduled to hit theaters on October 19.

Looking to get their feet wet in the world of horror, Paramount Vantage has picked up a spooky high-concept spec script, Ink, by Harris Wilkinson (Stir of Echoes: The Dead Speak) that apparently has something to do with tattoo artists. Though they aren't revealing any plot details, I think it's safe to assume there are a number of different places to go here. Since it's "high-concept," I imagine the tattoo ink will possess some sort of supernatural power that, when inked into someone's skin, magically comes to life ... or something like that. Heck, it's scary enough just watching someone get a dragon tattooed down their leg, imagine if the freaking thing came to life and devoured the poor fool who shelled out $400 to have it permanently etched into their skin. (Hmm, and I wonder what would happen to the dude sitting next to him who opted to go for the Playboy Bunny instead?)

Now, keep in mind, I have no idea whether that's the direction Wilkinson took with his script, but it seems like the most logical one. Unless, for instance, the pic focuses on a tattoo artist-turned-serial killer whose instruments aren't exactly clean ... if you know what I mean. The script is currently out to directors, and it's being produced by Riche Prods. in association with Mandalay Independent Pictures. Depending on how successful the film is, I wonder if it would have any effect on the tattoo industry -- after seeing Ink, will people be too afraid to down seven shots of vodka and have their significant others name tattooed in a place where the light doesn't shine? Oh, you know who you are ...

In an attempt to remove the "Hey, that's the chick in all those romantic comedies and Spider-Man movies" label from below her name, Kirsten Dunst will star in and produce A Jealous Ghost for Paramount Vantage. Film 360 will also produce, while Megan Holley has been brought onboard to adapt from A.N. Wilson's novel of the same name. However, before the project was even brought to Paramount, a whole team of people (including Dunst, Holley and 360's Ben Forkner) ripped the book to shreds, removing chunks of it and adding new characters and story points. Hmm, a film that will in no way stay faithful to the original source material? There's a new one for Hollywood.

Dunst had been searching for a juicy psychological thriller to sink her fangs into as of late, seeing as her last attempt in the genre was 1994's Interview With the Vampire -- a film that kick-started her career. In A Jealous Ghost, Dunst will play a young woman who, upon shacking up with one of her professors while attending University in London, begins seeing demons. I guess that's what happens when you try to sleep your way toward a good grade. Not that I would know, of course -- back in college, all my professors had hair protruding out of places I'd rather not discuss, which made it difficult to even look at them, let alone flirt or -- God forbid -- engage in any sexual activities. Here's hoping Dunst can successfully pull off the thrills and chills. A part of me is really looking forward to seeing what she can do with this genre as an adult now, however it's quite difficult to watch without wincing out of fear that this might be trainwreck waiting to happen.

After it took him 7 years to release his sophomore film, Capote, for which he was nominated for a directing Oscar, it wouldn't have been surprising to discover that Bennett Miller had no follow-up planned. Maybe he would become another one of those filmmakers who take a long time between projects. Personally, I was hoping that he'd go and do another documentary, a la The Cruise. Maybe this time he could follow his friend Sarah Vowell around on a historical vacation of some sort.

Well, he didn't have anything up and running immediately following the Oscars, but now he is about to get started on developing The Immortalist (which he will direct off a script by Dante Miller), a drama that Miller says is, "not a science fiction film, but a drama set in the very real world of those pursuing biological immortality. It's a pursuit that attracts some extremely brilliant, wealthy and influential people; it also attracts tragic figures. The story follows one such person on his disturbing foray into it." Paramount Vantage has already picked up the rights to U.S. distribution.

[via MovieWeb]