The Tempest Tagged Articles at Cinematical

So you remember those rumors a few weeks back that Russell Brand was signing up as Johnny Depp's 'heir apparent' in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise? Well, it looks like Brand might be playing a charming drunk, but it's not going to be as part of the Sparrow clan. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Brand has started putting together a remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore comedy, Arthur, for Warner Brothers (with an eye of making it a starring vehicle).

The original starred Moore as a boozy playboy who will only inherit his massive fortune on the condition that he marries an heiress selected by his family. When he falls for Liza Minnelli (in the form of a working class woman) he turns to his valet (John Gielgud) for help when forced to choose between money and love.

After making a splash in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Brand started lining up plenty of projects for 2009, including, Bedtime Stories, Julie Taymor's The Tempest, and Get Him to the Greek (which reunites him with the Sarah Marshall crew). The timing really could not be better for Brand to take a little vacation stateside since he seems to be having a tough time in his native land.

When Arthur was first released, the film was a bit hit, and snagged Oscars for Supporting Actor and original music. But, I would be willing to guess that a lot of Brand's fans weren't born when the original was released and won't know the difference. Although, for me, the only true love able drunk on the big screen is Nick Charles..if anyone can make this remake work, it's Brand.

I've already told you about the excellent news that Julie Taymor is cooking up a Tempest starring Helen Mirren. Now The Hollywood Reporter has listed two other names added to the already impressive cast list: Chris Cooper and Reeve Carney. Cooper will play that dastardly usurper Antonio, while Carney gets to be the son of the king of Naples, or in other words, the son of Jeremy Irons. Between the material, and Taymor, and this cast, I predict one hell of an amazing Shakespeare adaptation. But even if it's merely a fraction of Titus, it should still be good.

And there's also that little bit about Jean Claude Van Damme heading back to the world of Universal Soldier. Remember how he said that he was told that there wouldn't be any value in casting Dolph Lundgren? Well, now MTV has talked to Mr. Lundgren, who says that is "absolutely untrue." In fact, he goes on to say he's been resisting the film because it needs some work. He thinks it should be all Dolph and Jean-Claude again. I just can't believe the guy who wants to be taken seriously (JCVD) is in a movie even Lundgren wouldn't sign up for.

In much more vanilla news -- Variety reports that Meryl Streep is going to the cats. Well, more precisely, she's signed on to star in Dewey -- a film about "a stray cat's impact on the town of Spencer, Iowa." If that sounds too random to be fiction, that's because it is. The fact-based story is about the author of Dewey (Streep), Vicky Myron, who was working at the local library when a kitten got into the library on a cold night through the after-hours book slot. The feline then became a library mascot and heart-warmer. A pretty damned cute one too.

News like this is what I wait for when writing about movie news -- announcements that merge so many good things that you can't help but get the tingle of excitement. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Julie Taymor is taking on William Shakespeare yet again, and with one starry-eyed and stellar cast. Strike that ... THE stellar cast.

This time around, we get The Tempest, but with a spin -- there's a bit of gender bending. Prospero, the deposed Duke of Milan who became a sorcerer, is getting a sex change so that Helen Mirren can play the part. The lovely Mirren will be joined by Jeremy Irons, who will play Prospera's brother Alonso, Djimon Hounsou, who will tackle Caliban, Russell Brand as the jester Trinculo, Alfred Molina, who will be the drunken Stephano, Ben Wishaw as the spirit Ariel, and Felicity Jones as Prospera's daughter, Miranda. Oh, but that's not all -- Geoffrey Rush is in negotiations to play Prospera's ol' ally and adviser, Gonzalo. Since things are being changed up a bit, here's how THR describes it: "Shakespeare's play mixes romance with fraternal politics and the supernatural. As revised for the screen, it will center around Prospera, her daughter Miranda (Jones) and a shipwrecked crew full of Prospera's enemies."

After seeing Taymor's Titus, I never dreamed another Shakespeare adaptation could compare, until now. I say this having seen every single one of Will's plays performed at least once, and thinking that Patrick Stewart's Prospero was practically untouchable. But now, with this cast? I'm in love.

But still, Taymor is changing things up, so sound off below: Taymor, gender-bending, and The Tempest -- yay or nay?

Described in the Sundance program notes as "the single most crucial figure in British independent cinema through the seventies, eighties, and nineties," Derek Jarman is barely known today in North America, except perhaps as the director of music videos for the Pet Shop Boys and The Smiths. Beyond Jubilee and The Tempest, his feature work is not readily available on home video here. So Isaac Julien's new documentary on the artist, Derek, sounds like an ideal way to learn more about "the magic of a great creative mind."

More good news: indieWIRE reports that The Film Sales Company has acquired US distribution rights and worldwide sales rights (except the UK) to the doc. A specialized theatrical release is planned for later this year. It will also be playing at the Berlin film festival next month.

Director Isaac Julien's official site has more information about his many artistic endeavors. His film projects include the narrative feature Young Soul Rebels and the excellent "history of blaxpoitation" doc Baadasssss Cinema.

Derek features narration by Tilda Swinton, who both scripted and served as one of the film's producers. According to her IMDb biography page, Swinton began a profession association with Derek Jarman in 1985, considered him a mentor, and acted in his films until the director succumbed to complications from AIDS in 1993 at the age of 52. This week, Swinton was nominated for an Academy Award for her work in Michael Clayton, but I imagine having more people see Derek is closer to her heart than any award.