Rodrigo Santoro Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I'm totally psyched West Side Story is heading back to Broadway this year (the show opened this week!) -- so much so that I scooped up tickets for my mom for Mother's Day because I'm good like that (awww) -- but Vanity Fair took things one step further and, for one of their splash-tastic photo spreads, decided to pull together a whole bunch of actors to recreate famous scenes from one of the most beloved musicals of all time, with help from photographer Mark Seliger.

Participants included Jennifer Lopez (Anita), Camilla Belle (Maria), Ben Barnes (Tony), Rodrigo Santoro (Bernardo, leader of the Sharks), Brandon T. Jackson (Sharks gang member), Jay Hernandez (Sharks gang member), Chris Evans (Riff, leader of the Jets), Cam Gigandet (Jets gang member), Drake Bell (Jets gang member) and Robert Pattinson (Jets gang member). Twilight represent! Other folks who pop up (as various group members) include Ashley Tisdale, Brittany Snow, Sean Faris, Shane Lynch, Melonie Diaz, Minka Kelly, Natalie Martinez ... and I think that's everyone. Sometimes I forget how big this ensemble cast is.

I know it's early, and this is simply a photo shoot celebrating the musical's return to Broadway, but if they were to ever stage a remake one imagines the cast (and the film) would look something like this -- a smorgasbord of some of Hollywood's hottest up-and-coming talent. Whaddya think? Is it only a matter of time? Check out a few of the images below, then head over to Vanity Fair for all the fascinating details.

Jim and Ewan sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N..well, you get the idea. Thanks to Jim Carrey Online, we now have our first official look at the happy couple in the black comedy, I Love You Phillip Morris. Elisabeth brought us a behind the scenes photo back in May, but in spite of the thrill of seeing Jim Carrey and Rodrigo Santoro dripping with sun-tan oil and Versace, I was a little disappointed that my favorite Scot was nowhere to be seen -- until now.

Morris was written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who are also the guys responsible for the raunchy holiday offering Bad Santa. The script was based on the book by the same name from the Houston Chronicle crime reporter, Steve McVicker. Carrey stars as Steven Russell, a happily married con-man who finds himself falling in love with his cell-mate, Phillip Morris (as played by McGregor). Russell spent years defying the judicial system, and also spent most of his criminal career hopping in and out of prison through a variety of elaborate schemes. Russell even posed as his Morris' lawyer to get him switched to a closer prison. But it all came crashing down when in 1988, Russell was sentenced to 144 years in prison. Leslie Mann joined the cast back in April as Carrey's abandoned wife, and Santoro also stars as another of Carrey's paramours.

Even though plenty of actors still struggle with playing characters in same-sex relationships, without 'wimping' out all together (yes, I'm looking at you Will Smith). But like always, I think that McGregor will pull through just fine. As for Carrey? Now that's another question all together...what do you think?

I Love You Phillip Morris is scheduled to arrive in theaters in Spring, 2009

[Thanks: Coming Soon]

I saw into the casting future, and it was through Dlisted. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Rodrigo Santoro, last seen tall and glittery in 300, has been cast as Jim Carrey's lover in I Love You,Phillip Morris.

He is not the titular Phillip Morris, however. That honor still belongs to Ewan McGregor. If you have forgotten the plot of this love caper, a married Jim Carrey is sent to prison, where he falls in love with his cellmate. When Morris is released, the infatuated Carrey escapes three times to be with him. Somewhere in the middle, though, he hooks up with Santoro.

While this is just now hitting the legitimate newswire, on Tuesday Dlisted had a photo of the happy couple. (Don't ask me what I was doing on Dlisted, I don't have an answer!) So he has already been in the film long enough to get a wardrobe -- if that counts as wardrobe.

Since this is from the team of Bad Santa, and has Leslie Mann as Carrey's dumped wife, I think there's potential even with the erratic Carrey. And I'm anxious to see McGregor in a bonafide comedy, as he was by far the best thing about Down With Love. And it is rather fitting that he's the man Carrey changes teams for -- McGregor has topped that list for most of the guys I know. I bet we'll be seeing the full monty, too.

Well, Gilmore Girl and Traveling Pants star Alexis Bledel no longer has a Ticket to Ride. Instead, an early name change has her getting into The Post-Grad Survival Guide for Fox Atomic's upcoming comedy, and the supporting cast is falling into place. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Zach Gilford, one of the stars of the television series Friday Night Lights is in final negotiations to play Rory's love interest. Also joining the cast -- Michael Keaton, Carol Burnett, and Rodrigo Santoro (300). Man, I hope this is decent, just to get a chance to see Keaton and Burnett -- hopefully together.

Bledel stars as a girl named Ryden Malby, who has just graduated from college and has "to move back home with her eccentric family while trying to find a job, meet the right guy, and figure out where her life is headed." Santoro is going to play an infomercial director and neighbor who becomes Ryden's friend and confidant, but there is no word on who Keaton and Burnett will play. Considering the eccentric family angle, I'm hoping for some sort of dad and grandma deal -- Carol would be perfect as Alexis' grandmother. As for the neighbor, will Ryden find a lucrative future in the infomercial biz, peddling special fryers, rotisseries, and weight loss products? The possibilities!

Filming will begin on the project this Monday in Los Angeles, under the directorial eye of Vicky Jenson -- director of Shrek and Shark Tale. It'll be interesting to see what she makes of this live action comedy, but really, I'm just psyched for Carol.

When David Mamet is on, he is one of our finest writers. His script for Glengarry Glen Ross should be required reading for anyone aspiring to write for stage or screen. Mamet has put words in the mouths of some of the greatest actors in film history: Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Jack Nicholson, and now ... Tim Allen? It's true, Allen will star in Mamet's Redbelt. And it gets stranger -- the film is a "martial arts drama." I'm quite serious. Mamet wrote and will direct the film, which co-stars Children of Men's Chiwetel Ejiofor. Rounding out the cast are Emily "Brittle Bones" Mortimer, City of God's Alice Braga, 300's Rodrigo Santoro, Crank's Jose Pablo Cantillo, and Mamet regulars Ricky Jay, David Paymer, Joe "Fat Tony" Mantegna and Rebecca "Mrs. Mamet" Pidgeon. If that cast isn't crowded enough for you, the film also stars "martial artists and fighters" Randy Couture, John Machado, Danny Inosanto, Enson Inoue, and Ray Mancini.

According to imdb, Redbelt is "the story of Mike Terry (Ejiofor), a Jiu-jitsu master who has avoided the prize fighting circuit, choosing to instead pursue a life of honor and education by operating a self-defense studio in Los Angeles. Terry's life is dramatically changed, however, when he is conned by a cabal of movie stars and promoters. In order to pay off his debts and regain his honor Terry must step into the ring for the first time in his life." Allen will play "a troubled action star with marital problems who meets the master when he is getting pummeled in a street fight." I'm sorry, doesn't this sound like something Jean-Claude Van Damme and Gary Busey would have starred in back in 1988? And, you know, I was just about to close this article with a line about how I'm not worried because you can usually trust Mamet to deliver the goods, but then I noticed his next project is something called Joan of Bark: The Dog that Saved France! If this is an Air Bud sequel, we'll know the guy has officially lost his mind.

Last month, Monika brought you the announcement of Rose McGowan's upcoming film, Black Oasis. When I saw the title, I was thinking maybe this would be some kind of strange biopic with Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock singing "Wonderwall," but alas, I was mistaken. Black Oasis tells the story of B-movie queen Susan Cabot. Cabot was bludgeoned to death by her own son -- who suffered from dwarfism. Sounds intriguing to say the least, and call me crazy but I find that Rose McGowan rather attractive! The movie will be written and directed by Stephan Elliott, who also did the cult cross-dressing flick Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. And speaking of cross-dressing, Oasis has just added Rodrigo Santoro, who certainly appeared to be rocking some sort of drag look during his scenes in 300.

I recall seeing Love, Actually in the theater and hating Santoro. Not because of his performance, but because when he took his shirt off, every woman in the audience gasped and squealed. I actually assumed he'd be a much bigger star by now. Known as the "Brazilian Tom Cruise," Santoro was #12 on People Magazine's 2006 "Sexiest Men Alive" issue -- beating me out by just two spots. He was in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, he played the universally hated Paulo on Lost (where the hell did he come from, by the way?), the absolutely ridiculous character Xerxes in 300 (please don't hate me, commenters!), and he hasn't really been in much else here in America. His role in Black Oasis sounds like it will be the one that decides whether or not he's got the talent to back up the looks.

Hollywood has a great tradition of song and dance movies like Singin' in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music and more recently with Moulin Rouge! and Chicago. In fact, many of the most popular and successful films of all time are musicals. And now a new film will try to take its place among those great films of the past -- Dare to Love Me, directed by Alfonso Arau of A Walk in the Clouds.

According to production weekly, super-hot Paz Vega, Rodrigo Santoro and singer-turned-actress Shakira will star in the film, scripted by The Notebook writer Jeremy Leven, which tells the story of Argentinian tango legend Carlos Gardel (Santoro) whose involvement in a torrid love triangle leads to tragedy when he's shot, leaving a bullet lodged in his lung for the rest of his life. Making his way to 1930's Paris, Carlos finds the will to sing again and entrances a new legion of fans, including love interests Vega and Shakira, by bringing tango music to Europe's exploding music scene.

This film has a long way to go before it will count as a " musical classic" among the ones mentioned above; that said, Arau has a proven ability to manage this kind of sweeping tragic love story and writer Leven knows this ground exceptionally well too. Combine the skills and experience of these two men together with the charismatic and talented cast Arau has assembled, and this film might just have a chance. Or, we could end up with another Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on our hands -- and believe me, nobody wants that. Shooting on Dare to Love Me is expected to start next spring in Romania.

So, is this film going to be more Moulin Rouge! or Sgt. Pepper?

Did you know that there was a Brazilian bobsled team competing in Turin? Me either. We'll be hearing all about it in a few years, though, when the movie comes out. Clearly inspired by the wild success of Cool Runnings, Eric Maleson, the founder and president of the Brazilian Ice Sports Federation, has sold the rights to his sweet-and-odd life story, which will be rewritten by Tom Musca and turned into a movie called Better than Gold.

The movie will focus on Maleson's experiences in the US in the 1980s, when he met his wife and, with her, became obsessed with bobsledding. Well, to each his own, right? The two married during the bobsled races in Salt Lake City four years ago, when the Brazilian team made its first appearance, and Maleson is currently leading the team - the only South American bobsledders in the Olympics - in Turin.

The movie is expected to have a budget of about $10 million, and the outrageously hot Rodrigo Santoro is in negotiations to play Maleson and make him seem much more attractive than he actually is.