TerrenceStamp Tagged Articles at Cinematical

It's been an interesting ride for Tom Cruise's Valkyrie. It's received lots of apprehension, unkind words, a false Photoshop drama and a bit of a jostle with its release date. The film's mission to get to the screen seems almost as dangerous as von Stauffenberg's quest to assassinate Hitler. Now its arrival is almost upon us, and with that, we've got a new trailer.

If you want to get the trailer off on the right foot, Terence Stamp (who plays General Ludwig Beck) is definitely the way to do it. The honor, tenseness, and drama -- it plays out as a trailer should. But I just can't get behind Cruise's lack of an accent. Sure, the accents from everyone are far from accurate, but in a sea of British talent, Tom's voice sticks out like a sore thumb. If there was even the slightest hint of an accent (as if he was trying to suppress it and sound American), it'd even work. But as is, the only thing I can think is: "Who is that American dude in the German army?"

That being said, everything else has me really curious about this feature. How about you?

Bringing TV properties to the big screen is a dicey proposition; for every success, there's a fistful of failures that didn't make the cut. (Hands up if you remember I Spy. ...) But gathered in Hollywood for a press conference, the stars and creative staff of Get Smart were relaxed and calm, fielding questions about everything from the tricky business of mocking intelligence in a post-9/11 world, what it takes to play a bad guy, and what it's like to make out with Steve Carell.

The cast was asked if they actually went back to the '60s TV show to get a sense of playing their parts; each of them had a different answer. Steve Carell explained "I didn't want to do an impersonation of Don Adams; I figured there was no way to improve upon what he had done, and I thought the more I watched of him, the more inclined I would be to do an impersonation, because he was so good, so definitive in the role; so no, I sort of backed off."

There aren't any plans for an official sequel to The Passion of the Christ (unofficial is another story), but one Bible publisher is producing what seems to be a related product. This October, Nelson Bibles will release a 25-hour audiobook of the New King James Version complete with a star-studded cast, including Jim Caviezel as the voice of Jesus.

The rest of the Passion cast has been substituted with other big names, and there doesn't seem to be any affiliation with Newmarket Films or Mel Gibson, but obviously Nelson is using the connection to its advantage. Otherwise the real appeal of the audiobook, entitled The Word of Promise: New Testament, should be Terrence Stamp, who provides the voice of God, and Richard Dreyfuss, who plays Moses.

There will be a follow-up (or, should I say prequel?) to the audiobook that will be based on the Old Testament, and Stamp and Dreyfuss will return in their respective parts. Unfortunately, Caviezel's role will not be included. Neither will the parts played by Marisa Tomei, Lou Diamond Phillips, Kimberly Williams, Ernie Hudson, John Heard or Luke Perry (try to imagine Judas with Dylan McKay's sideburns).