michelle pheiffer Tagged Articles at Cinematical

A whole bunch of casting rumors have arrived online this week, pushing some, like CHUD's ever-vocal Devin Faraci, to write an editorial-ish piece on why we shouldn't really be paying too much attention to these rumors because, well, they're rumors. And while your parents may have told you that rumors come from a stork who brings them in its mouth and drops them off on your pillow, the reality of the situation is that rumors can start from just about anywhere -- whether it's something overheard by some blabbermouth low-level assistant at an agency or something that's completely fabricated for more internet traffic (I'm looking at you The Sun and The Daily Express!), these days it's really hard to tell. That being said, rumors can be fun because they foster discussion and get those inner studio exec wheels turning in our brains, so here are a few making the rounds right now.

Spider-Man 4
Who: Julia Stiles
Role: Unknown, though with recent information somewhat confirming that Black Cat will be a character, folks are assuming she tried out for that part.
Source: UGO are the ones claiming Stiles met with a casting company in New York City to discuss joining the film in some capacity.
Our Thoughts: Stiles has been in a lot of films throughout her career, though she's dabbled in the big-budgeted before playing Jason Bourne's sidekick in all three Bourne movies. Thus, she definitely brings enough bad-assery to play a Spidey villain, and also enough sincerity to play a Spidey ally. Good choice for Black Cat in my opinion.

Click image below to view full poster

Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Chéri, which stars Michelle Pfeiffer as a seductress who knows exactly which buttons to push and when. The film also features a Dangerous Liaisons reunion, with not only Pfeiffer in the lead, but Stephen Frears directed and Christopher Hampton wrote the screenplay. The film, which is based on the novels by Colette and is set in 1920s Paris, follows the son of a courtesean who retreats into a fantasy world after he's forced to end his relationship with the older woman who seduced and educated him in the ways of love.

Sounds to me like Pfeiffer belongs in the running for Cougar of the Year, and that's just fine by me -- it's always a pleasure to watch the gal let her hair down and take on a more sensual role. In my opinion, we need more women over 50 seducing younger men in our movies -- why not? Chéri also stars Kathy Bates and Rupert Friend, and it's set to arrive in theaters (in limited release) on June 26.

Click image below to view full poster, and head after the jump to read a more complete synopsis.

Odds and ends from Tuesday:

• Brittany Robertson has signed up to play Steve Carell's rebellious 15-year-old daughter in the upcoming Dan in Real Life. Pic centers around a widower who writes a parenting column, though things take a turn for the worse when he falls in love with his brother's girlfriend. Man, don't you hate it when that happens?
• Just when you thought it was safe to assume they were done casting the latest big-screen version of Hairspray, yet another actress has thrown her name into the pot. Allison Janney (The West Wing) has been tapped to play Prudy Pingleton, the overbearing mother of Penny (Amanda Bynes). Janney joins a cast that already includes John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken and Michelle Pfeiffer, among others.
• After receiving an angry letter from Martin Scorsese regarding their movie review system (seriously, this guy has nothing better to do with his time?), DirecTV went ahead and hired the legendary director to help re-vamp their service. Scorsese will write a monthly column for the subscription-only On DirecTV. In it, he plans to "offer critiques of overlooked films on DirecTV." I'm not sure what qualifies a film to be "overlooked," but all you DirecTV subscribers are welcome to let us know which films he decides to cover. I'm super curious.

Let me just get this right out of the way: I'm not a big fan of this whole Hairspray thing. Yeah, I saw the movie back in the day and listened to all the praise pouring out of the Broadway show, however it doesn't do it for me one bit. So, now you can understand me when I say that I am so not looking forward to another movie version. Oh, you didn't hear they were making another Hairspray? Or maybe you just forgot already?

Well, they are making another movie version and this one will star John Travolta, Billy Crystal and Queen Latifah. I don't think I've seen such an awkwardly put together cast since, well, ever. Now, reports are coming in that this already confusing cast may be adding another random actress to it in Michelle Pheiffer.

But Michelle may not be so random after all. You may remember a certain Michelle Pfeiffer leading the pack in a certain Grease 2? The same Grease 2 that had a Grease 1 come before it and star none other than a certain John Travolta? No word yet on who the actress will play, but if it all goes down, Hairspray redux could produce the ultimate reunion...that no one asked for. Or wanted.