elle fanning Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Three years after she premiered Marie Antoinette at the Cannes Film Festival, Sofia Coppola is returning to cinemas with a new film she wrote and will direct called Somewhere. Much like her 2003 film Lost in Translation, Somewhere will be set in a hotel -- though this time she's returning to the States and bringing her cute, angsty Fem Anderson-ish style to the iconic Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood.

Wanting to make (in her words) "an intimate story set in contemporary Los Angeles," Somewhere will follow a "bad-boy actor" who's forced to reexamine his life after a surprise visit from his 11-year-old daughter. Possibly looking to capitalize on the new born-again-actor trend, Coppola has cast Stephen Dorff, a guy who's just trying to come back to acting in movies people have actually heard of); one of his last roles was as Ross Tanner on two episodes of XIII last year. Opposite Dorff will be Elle Fanning, doing her best "Screw you Dakota, I can do bitter abandoned child too, b*tch!" Obviously this film and Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler share similar themes with fathers trying to reconnect with their daughters, except Dorff seems to be playing an extension of himself instead of, say, a former Ultimate Fighting Champion. Still, it'll be fascinating to see what the gal does with this. Definitely a film that will be followed by many.

So has Sofia done it? Could Dorff really be the next big comeback? Somewhere begins shooting this summer; look for it to possibly debut at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

[via Variety]

(We're reposting this review from the Sundance Film Festival to coincide with the film's theatrical release)

By: Kim Voynar

First time writer/director Daniel Barnz knocks it out of the park with Phoebe in Wonderland, an imaginative, layered tale about a young girl struggling to fit in and find her place. Elle Fanning (younger sister of Dakota Fanning) stars as Phoebe, a nine-year-old girl who finds herself struggling against the conformity and rules around her. Phoebe is an intelligent and creative child with a passion for Alice in Wonderland.

Phoebe's attachment to this particular literary obsession is not a coincidence; her mother, Hillary (Felicity Huffman) is writing a book on Wonderland that expounds upon her doctoral dissertation on the subject, so naturally Phoebe sees Alice as a means to be closer to her mother. It's also not coincidental that Phoebe, like Alice, finds the normal world a very boring and rigid place where she doesn't quite fit in, and wishes to escape to a world where anything can happen.

Cinematical has just received this exclusive clip from the film Phoebe in Wonderland, starring Felicity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson and Elle Fanning. Directed by first-timer Daniel Barnz, Wonderland is a quiet-but-peculiar little character piece about a little girl whose clever imagination and dislike for rules and conformity slowly begin to remove her from reality. As I said back when we premiered the poster, Kim absolutely loved this film when it premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival, calling Fanning's performance "pretty brilliant" while noting that with his first feature, Barnz "knocks it out of the park" with an "imaginative and original script."

Phoebe in Wonderland arrives in theaters on March 6. Check out the exclusive clip below.

Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Phoebe in Wonderland, starring Felicity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson and Elle Fanning. Here, first time writer-director Daniel Barnz crafts a story about a young girl (Fanning) whose fantastical imagination and dislike for rules and conformity leads to her slowly removing herself from reality. Kim absolutely loved this film when it premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival, calling Fanning's performance "pretty brilliant" while noting that with his first feature, Barnz "knocks it out of the park" with an "imaginative and original script." This looks like the perfect film for anyone who remembers hiding behind their imagination a little too much as a kid, and I'm personally interested in seeing what sort of acting chops the younger Fanning sister brings to the table.

Phoebe in Wonderland arrives in theaters on March 6. Click on the image below to view the full, colorful poster.

One of my favorite films from Sundance, Phoebe in Wonderland, is set to open the 10th RiverRun International Film Festival, according to indieWIRE. The film, which stars Elle Fanning, Felecity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson and Bill Pullman, is about Phoebe (Fanning), a little girl struggling with behavioral problems and relating to others.

Phoebe finds hope through her eccentric drama teacher (Clarkson), who casts her as the lead in the school's production of Alice in Wonderland. Meanwhile her parents (Huffman and Pullman) struggle with balancing their work with their family life, and with accepting that raising their daughters to be creative and non-conformist also means accepting Phoebe as she is, and helping her navigate her way through the world.

Back in October, the two tow-headed cuties Elle and Dakota Fanning signed up to play siblings in My Sister's Keeper. In the first two-Fanning punch since I Am Sam, it's the story of a young girl (who would have been played by Elle) who sues her parents for divorce because she's being raised as a handy genetic match for her older, cancer-ridden sister (Dakota). Not anymore. Variety reports that the two sisters pulled out of the feature abruptly.

Why? Their sources say that Dakota refused to shave her head for the part. I guess she thought they'd fit one of those bald caps on her head, or she'd be the lucky cancer victim who miraculously doesn't lose her hair. If this source is right, at least we know where she draws the line now. She shocked many before for her involvement in Hounddog, but I guess smooth noggin is crossing the line. It might seem surprising for Fanning, who has taken on a lot of grown-up fare, but she is only 13. (She turns 14 on the 23rd.)

At least their replacements have already been picked. Although I would've tapped her to play the elder role, Abigail Breslin will take over the ticked off role that Elle vacated, while Sofia Vassilieva, from Medium, is finalizing her deal to replace Dakota. Will this be another Oscar nod for Abigail, perhaps? Or a breakout performance from Sofia?

So this is probably way too early to start getting excited about David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- but cut me a little slack; it's not like this guy is known for making movies with any frequency. Frankly, I should probably just take what I can get. Hollywood Elsewhere has received a scoop from the set of Button, and even if you only believe half of what was reported then things are still looking pretty good for the literary adaptation. According to Elsewhere, the news came from the husband of the costume designer for the film. There is no shortage of praise in the report and some of the highlights of what she said include: "the script was top-notch" and that, "Fincher and Brad Pitt were consummate professionals".

Button is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's story about a man who finds love at 50 only to begin to age backwards, causing him some serious complications (and if you ever wondered how Pitt was going to age, then here is the chance for a sneak peek). The movie is a reunion not only for Fincher and Pitt (who worked together twice before), but also for Cate Blanchett as well (she also co-starred in the Oscar-nominated Babel with Pitt). Also in the cast are Julia Ormond, Elle Fanning (sister to Dakota), and Tilda Swinton. Pitt even got his family in on the film and his daughter Shiloh will be making her screen debut -- so much for keeping his kids out of the public eye.

Elsewhere's scooper went on to say that, "some of the sequences they saw that had been edited were absolutely stunning. Her description of the mood of those who worked on it is that of bated breath -- a near universal belief that they have made an outstanding and moving film, one that transcends and one they wish not to jinx by too much loose talk". Well, if nothing else it is nice to know that I am not the only one betting big on this film. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is set for release on November 26, 2008.

Remember that mushy-sounding, Irreconcilable Differences-esque movie starring the Fanning sisters that's in the works? About a little girl who sues her parents for divorce after finding out she only exists to serve as a genetic match for her dying sis? It's called My Sister's Keeper, and it just got a whole lot better-sounding. According to Variety, Alec Baldwin has joined the cast, which also includes Cameron Diaz as the mother of Dakota and Elle Fanning. Baldwin fortunately won't be playing the girls' daddy; instead he's set for the role of an attorney representing the younger, wrongfully-conceived sister. He will be going up against Diaz, whose mom character is also a former trial lawyer and will be defending herself. It's still unclear if the father role will be significant, or if the parents are now divorced, separated or simply not cinematic equals. Of course, the production has until its February start date to let us know the actor for that part.

Baldwin, who previously worked with Dakota Fanning on The Cat in the Hat, was able to sign on to My Sister's Keeper thanks in part to the writer's strike, which has halted the shooting of Baldwin's hit TV series 30 Rock (though Variety points out he is contractually allowed to schedule a movie, who's to say it would have happened with this, at this time?). I've just recently become addicted to the show specifically because of him, and hope his attorney character is close in tone to his NBC executive character, Jack Donaghy. Yet something -- perhaps the subject matter of the film -- tells me that won't be the case. Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook) will be directing from a script by Jeremy Leven (The Notebook), which was adapted from the novel by Jodi Picoult, while Mark Johnson (The Notebook) produces.

The last time the Fanning sisters were in the same movie (I Am Sam), they played the same character at different ages. Now they've been cast in a new movie in which they both exist for the same character. Confused? Hold on. According to Variety, Elle and Dakota, who are now 9 and 13 respectively, will star in Nick Cassavetes' adaptation of My Sister's Keeper alongside Cameron Diaz. Based on the novel by Jodi Picoult, it's the story of a young girl who was conceived solely for the purpose of being a genetic match for her older sister, who is suffering from cancer. So, basically, Elle's part is that of a literal tool, existing only for the extension of Dakota's character's life. And I guess the parents don't treat the younger enough like a real, intentional child, because she ends up suing them for divorce -- kinda like little Drew Barrymore does in the largely forgotten gem from my youth, Irreconcilable Differences. Cassavetes' partners from The Notebook, screenwriter Jeremy Leven and producer Mark Johnson, are also on board, and production is set to begin in March.

If there's any competition between the Fannings for who will be the first to score an Oscar, this could be the movie in which to really shine. For the older Dakota, we've got a character dying of a disease, which at least used to be an Academy favorite for recognition (maybe if she was also mentally handicapped, she'd have more of a chance). Then for little "Sweetie Pie" (I'll never stop calling Elle that, even when she's 30), there's the strong court-battle role, which typically serves up meaty performances. And with Diaz in the movie, the sisters are sure to appear even better actresses than they are. As we told you in July, Diaz will play the girls' mother, who was cast first and then required the lowering of the sisters' ages from 13 and 16, as they are in the book (what, we can't believe Diaz had a daughter when she was 19?). Although this will be the first movie Elle and Dakota appear in together as sisters, they did play sisters in the American dub of My Neighbor Totoro -- which only used their voices (you should really watch the subtitled version; it's so much cuter). So, will the Fannings compete too much and end up giving us over the top delivery? Or could they both be good enough to further compete come awards time? Or will we be so over them by the time this movie comes out and not care either way?

Above is an exclusive look at the final one-sheet for The Nines (click on poster for larger image), written and directed by John August. Yup, the extremely talented screenwriter (and frequent Tim Burton collaborator) is making his directorial debut with a film about three people (a troubled actor, a television show runner and a video game designer) whose lives and stories all intertwine to form a single narrative that explores the relationships between author and character, actor and role, creator and creation. Alternately funny and unsettling, The Nines is like a riddle where the answer may just lead to another question. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Melissa McCarthy, Hope Davis and Elle Fanning. Additionally, you can check out the trailer over at IGN, as well as two puzzles (via UGO and Coming Soon) which should keep you busy until the flick arrives in theaters on August 31.