2008
Filming of The Wolfman began this week at Chatsworth.
The filming involves exterior shots of the house, garden
and park only, and it will be completed before Chatsworth
opens to visitors for the 2008 season on March 12th.
There is no press or visitor access to the set.
(Source: Chatsworth.org)
Chatsworth
February 28, 2008
In a recent interview, actor Edgar Ramirez talked about
working with Benicio in The Argentine and Guerrilla:
Question:
Can you talk a little bit about working with
Benicio and did you guys rehearse a lot?
Edgar Ramirez:
"Not really, no, no. It was an extreme happening.
I mean we were there and we didn’t rehearse that
much probably for technical reasons and then we
went for it. He’s an amazing actor. He’s got such a
density, you know, as an actor. He’s really committed
and also very generous as an actor."
Edgar Ramirez will play the role of
Ciro Redondo in The Argentine and Guerrilla.
(Source: Collider.com)
February 27, 2008
Benicio is currently in London.
February 26, 2008
During an interview backstage at the 80th Oscar ceremony
last Sunday, after receiving his Oscar, Daniel Day-Lewis
mentioned the following:
"In fact, I think there were quite a number of actors
that weren't included in the nominations this year who
gave wonderful performances: [one of them being]
Benicio Del Toro, who is always wonderful..."
(Source: The Deadbolt.com)
February 25, 2008
The Argentine and Guerrilla are pre-announced
and will be the possible highlight of the coming
edition of the International Film Festival in Cannes.
The two films may be presented, if they are ready in time,
respectively at the opening and closing of the event.
The information was confirmed, according to
Screen International, by Vincent Maraval, of Wild Bunch,
a French company and co-producer of projects with the
United States and Spain, and responsible for international sales.
(Source: AnsaLatina.com.br)
February 24, 2008
The deleted scenes on the DVD version of
Things We Lost In The Fire last 10 minutes
and mostly concern Jerry (Benicio's character).
(Source: DVD talk)
February 23, 2008
In an interview with El Vocero, actor Victor Rasuk
said "Seeing Benicio venture forth into Che in the
manner he did, impressed me very much."
Victor Rasuk plays the role of Lieutenant Rogelio Acevedo
in The Argentine and Guerrilla.
Victor Rasuk
(Source: El Vocero de Puerto Rico)
February 23, 2008
Promotional display for The Argentine and Guerrilla
at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival.
(Click on thumbnail to enlarge)
(Source: Flickr.com)
February 23, 2008
Here's an excerpt of an article that John Hopewell wrote
about the sales interest of The Argentine and Guerrilla.
"For buyers, the most talked-about screening at
this month's Berlin Festival lasted just 10 minutes,
and it wasn't even in English.
Showcased by France's Wild Bunch, the excerpts
of Steven Soderbergh's stylish, action-packed "Che,"
with Benicio Del Toro as Guevara, was being talked up
afterwards as a potential modern classic. The two-part,
four hours-long Spanish-language Che Guevara bio
speaks volumes about the tastes of Paris-based
production-sales shingle Wild Bunch,
a pacesetter on Europe's film scene.
And it shows one road the high-end international
indie biz is taking, into distinctive, director-driven
event films, where star helmers and sheer
artistic ambition are sought after.
Shot with a revolutionary Red One HD camera,
the action-packed pic features brutal scenes like
Che's cold-blooded executions -- and a Traffic-like
style shifter. Wild Bunch topper Vincent Maraval
evokes Sam Fuller's The Big Red One, Zorro,
John Ford, John Huston and Raoul Walsh,
"but shot through with Soderbergh's ultra-modern style,
which makes us think we have a classic," he says.
The pic sold in most major territories worldwide.
For the U.S., Wild Bunch is asking in the $20 million
range, buyers say. Berlin reports suggested three
U.S. buyers are circling the film, though Maraval says
Wild Bunch was in no hurry to close a U.S. deal.
Budgeted at $61.5 million, "Che" has been
a big gamble, which seems to be paying off.
(Source: Variety)
February 23, 2008
Hugo Weaving will join the cast of The Wolfman.
He will play Detective Aberline.
Hugo Weaving
(Source: Variety)
February 22, 2008
Some reviews about Benicio's performance
in Things We Lost In The Fire:
Helen Herimbi / Tonight (South Africa)
... Jerry [is] portrayed excellently by Benicio Del Toro...
Phillip Altbeker / Business Day (South Africa)
Jerry’s despair is admirably conveyed by Del Toro,
who eschews phoney histrionics and, instead,
delivers as convincing a portrayal of someone
who has reached rock bottom and is helpless
to stop the decline without outside assistance,
which, in his case, comes from an unlikely source.
February 22, 2008
In his article entitled "The Moviegoer: Six Ways
of Watching the Oscars", critic James Rocchi
asks the same question everyone is asking:
"Watch Things We Lost in the Fire and tell me why
Benicio Del Toro isn't nominated for Best Actor?"
(Source: The Hoffington Post)
February 21, 2008
Release dates for Things We Lost In The Fire
are now available for the following countries:
Argentina: February 21, 2008
Singapore: February 21, 2008
Turkey: February 29, 2008
Belgium: March 5, 2008
Japan: March 29, 2008
Norway: April 4, 2008
Sweden: April 4, 2008
Spain: April 25, 2008
Italy: May 16, 2008
Germany: May 29, 2008
(Source: IMDB)
February 21, 2008
As the March 4 release date of the DVD version
of Things We Lost In The Fire is approaching,
here is the complete special features list for the R1 DVD:
•
Commentary: A Discussion About Things We Lost In The Fire
• Additional Scenes: Neal Does "Mumsie" For Dory
• Additional Scenes: Dwayne ODs
• Additional Scenes: Howard Tests Jerry
• Additional Scenes: Jerry Makes Breakfast
• Additional Scenes: It All Comes Down To The Finish
• Additional Scenes: Family Breakfast
• Additional Scenes: Audrey Gives Jerry the Cupboard
• Trailers: Theatrical Trailer
(Source: Edge Boston)
February 20, 2008
Scenes for The Wolfman will be filmed
on March 13th in Lacock on a one-day shoot
around the Tithe Barn and the High Street.
(Source: Gazette & Herald)
February 19, 2008
Wild Bunch’s hottest draw — very possibly the most
talked-about films at this year’s Berlin festival — was
The Argentine and Guerrilla.
Screened in Steven Soderbergh’s presence, 10 minutes
of excerpts, mainly of first-part The Argentine, had
buyers talking bullishly about a work with
the makings of a modern classic.
The Argentine and Guerrilla have pre-sold to many
major territories: France (Warner Bros.), the U.K. (Optimum),
Scandinavia (Scanbox) and Italy (Bim Distribuzione,
Wild Bunch’s Italo distrib partner).
Sun Distribution Co. has Latin America;
Spanish rights lie with the project's co-producer Telecinco.
Three U.S. buyers are circling the films, said Berlin reports.
The number is most probably significantly higher
than that, though Wild Bunch’s Vincent Maraval said
Wild Bunch was in no hurry to close a U.S. deal.
Germany may well go down within a week.
Four Japanese companies are in talks, Maraval added.
(Source: Variety)
February 19, 2008
Maldeamores will represent Puerto Rico at the
48th Cartagena International Festival of Cinema and Television
which will be held from February 29th to March 7, 2008.
Also, as of March 14th, Maldeamores will be
presented in several cities in the United States, including
New York, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
(Source: Yahoo! Noticias España)
February 19, 2008
The Wolfman is scheduled to start
filming in London on March 17th next.
(Source: Collider.com)
February 19, 2008
Below is a test footage for Where The Wild Things Are,
which was filmed in the summer of 2005 in Griffith Park,
in Los Angeles. The Wild Thing in this footage is an early
version of Carrol, a big, so-called anomatronic puppet.
Benicio was supposed to give this particular Wild Thing
his voice before he dropped out of the project to do
Things We Lost In The Fire. Scheduling didn't allow
Benicio to do both films. In the end, the voice-role
of Carrol went to James Gandolfini.
Click on the photo below to view the clip.
February 19, 2008
Happy
birthday,
Benicio!
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February 18, 2008
More reviews are in for Things We Lost In The Fire:
... its power derives from the intensity and honesty of
Del Toro’s exceptionally brave and observant performance...
Todd McCarty / Variety
A live-wire performance by Benicio Del Toro...
February 17, 2008
Click on the photo below to access
the Japanese official website of Things We Lost In The Fire.
February 16, 2008
On the evening of February 13th, Maldeamores officially
premiered in Puerto Rico, with quite a big premiere gala,
at the Metro de Santurce theater. Although Benicio
could not attend the event in person, he sent a video
message for the occasion of this premiere.
"This is a film with many dimensions, a very original comedy,
that has all the qualities for mature people, for people who
know about film, for people who do not know about film,
it has a lot to be commercially successful or popular.
Comedy is a very popular genre. I think, that the work
of the actors, of all those who were involved
in this film, is great," Benicio said.
From February 14th on, the film will be
showed in cinemas across the Island.
(Source: elNuevoHerald.com)
February 15, 2008
Click on the photo below to view a new trailer for Maldeamores.
(Source: PrimeraHora)
February 14, 2008
Steven Soderbergh screened and presented
the 10-minute promo-reel of The Argentine and Guerrilla
at the Berlin Film Market on February 8, at 8 pm in the
Martin Gropius Bau (just across the street from the
Che-decorated building). The project caused quite a stir
at this year's Market and was in everbody's mouth.
They are now fielding the offers from distributors
they've received since the screening. A real success...
February 13, 2008
The following still was taken from a promoreel
for the promotion of The Argentine and Guerrilla:
(Source: Wild Bunch)
February 12, 2008
According to Screen International, The Argentine and
Guerrilla have been sold to several countries during
the early days of the 58th Festival of Berlin.
In Latin America, the films will be distributed by Sunfilm.
Among the most important markets, the only countries
to which the films remain to be sold are the United States,
Japan and Germany, but the French company Wild Bunch,
who owns the rights to sell around the world, currently awaits
the most favourable offer from three North American distributors.
Wild Bunch showed ten minutes of the film at the market
and sent out DVDs with the trailer to distributors
that were absent from Berlin.
Through their executive Vincent Maraval, the company
reported that the two single productions, both shot in
Spanish, could open and close in May at the
Cannes Film Festival, if Steven Soderbergh finishes
their assembling in time.
To promote the production, a stage has been built
to create an atmosphere, with an original car
of the '50s which was used in the film, and a
reproduction of posters for capture by the
dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, with photographs
of Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos.
(Source: AnsaLatina.com.br)
In a rebellious snub to the European Film Market,
Wild Bunch has set up shop in a pre-fab across from
Martin-Gropius-Bau, properly ordained with "Che".
February 11, 2008
The following photo was published recently
on the SPS Athletic Training Group website:
Derek Hansen training with Benicio on location
in Los Navalucillos, Spain in August 2007.
(Source: StrengthPowerSpeed.com)
February 10, 2008
This year's Oscars have not been distributed yet
and already there is speculation on next year's contenders.
Variety's Copy Editor Justin Chang mentions Benicio
as one of those possible contenders for next year's
actor race for his role as Che Guevara
in The Argentine, and Guerrilla.
(Source: Variety)
February 9, 2008
The Wolfman is among the high-profile films
which will have its production schedule accelerated
in order to be completed before a possible
Screen Actors Guild strike on June 30.
(Source: Variety)
February 8, 2008
IMDB's Cast and Crew list for The Wolfman
has been updated to include Joe Johnston
as new director, among other updates.
(Source: IMDB)
February 7, 2008
The Wolfman's location manager Emma Pill
confirmed that filming was set to go ahead
as scheduled. The film's technical team went to
Lacock a few weeks ago to look around.
Ms. Pill said: "We will absolutely be getting in touch
with residents soon. Things were held up slightly
because we changed directors, but everything
is going to go ahead as originally planned."
(Source: ThisIsWiltshire.co.uk)
February 6, 2008
Here's what film critic Taragh Loughrey-Grant had to say
about Benicio's performance in Things We Lost In The Fire:
"The strong cast, led by Benicio del Toro, ensures that
the drama stands tall. He gives a frighteningly realistic
portrayal of the villain and hero of the piece; an addict
who desperately wants to but can't shake the monkey
from his back. It's rare to see del Toro in a role that
has challenged him since his Oscar winning turn in
2000's Traffic but this comes very close."
(Source: RTÉ Entertainment)
February 5, 2008
The production chart for The Wolfman
has been updated to include its new director:
STATUS - March 2008
LOCATION - London - Castle Combe - Lacock
PRODUCER: Scott Stuber - Mary Parent - Andy Davis
DIRECTOR: Joe Johnston
LP: Arne Schmidt
PM: David Womark
CAST: Benicio Del Toro - Anthony Hopkins - Emily Blunt
(Source: ProductionsCharts.com)
February 4, 2008
It's confirmed!
Joe Johnston will direct The Wolfman.
Joe Johnston
(Source: Variety)
February 3, 2008
Click on the photo below to watch
Ben Howard's review of Things We Lost In The Fire.
(Source: CNET TV)
February 3, 2008
Susanne Bier was interviewed recently and talked about
working with Benicio in Things We Lost In The Fire:
"... Benicio [is] very creative, and very complicated
like all great actors are.. He's extremely meticulous
with everything, and he knows exactly when he wants
to have dirty nails. Any detail matters. So there's nothing
coincidental about any of those choices. He's extremely
stimulating and very creative. He had so many suggestions
to scenes of changing and altering them, and I'd say
90% of his suggestions were ingenious.
I thought Halle and Benicio were sort of exciting, sexy,
dark and also there was a certain antagonism between them."
(Source: This Is North Scotland)
February 3, 2008
In a recent interview, Alison Lohman talked about
working with Benicio in Things We Lost In The Fire:
"Benicio is very warm and he has such a great way
of looking at material. He's always surprising you.
And he frees himself up that way to be able to be
open to anything. I enjoy working with Benicio because
he's very playful. And there's something in his eyes -
he's just an expressive soul."
(Source: MSN News UK)
February 3, 2008
More UK reviews of Things We Lost In The Fire:
David Edwards / Mirror
... Del Toro is superb...
Peter Bradshaw / The Guardian
... Del Toro's performance is effective.
Tim Robey / Telegraph
When we're lucky, there's one great performance
barging into frame, and it comes from Del Toro,
who's bruised, magnetic, utterly lovable,
and doesn't say much. When he goes cold turkey,
we do too. This film could be a few notches better
and still not quite deserve him.
... Del Toro earned rave reviews for [his] performance,
largely stealing the show.
Paul Whittington / Irish Independent
Most actors overdo the whole junkie thing,
but Del Toro's Jerry is a model of restraint and quiet regret.
Michael Dwyer / The Irish Times
... whereas Del Toro immerses himself in his role
with characteristic passion. We anticipate well
in advance of it happening that Jerry will undergo
the cold turkey sequence that is de rigueur for
this genre. Del Toro transforms this cliche of
movie melodrama with a sustained,
understated intensity that is chilling.
Justin Matlock / Hornsey & Crouch End Journal
... Del Toro shines as the no-good friend... He helps add
fire to what is otherwise a routine drama that's too busy
piling on the meaningful close-ups and heartbreaking music
to get to the heart of the matter. Del Toro gives an
incredibly brave performance that perhaps deserves to be
in a better movie - one that spends less time telling us
it's moving and more time actually showing us.
...though the film is sometimes frustratingly sentimental,
Del Toro's soulful presence makes it easy enough
to accept the good in it.
Demetrios Matheou / Sunday Herald
... but without Del Toro - charismatic, constantly surprising
as he reveals the intelligent, compassionate man beneath
the addict - the film would, also, have been lost.
Philip Roe / The Event Guide (Ireland)
Perennially watchable and wonderfully dishevelled
at the best of times, Benicio Del Toro’s worn,
rubbery features are perfect for his role as a
repentant addict, his understated performance
his best since Traffic, maybe even of his career.
... with only the strong acting on show, particularly
from the tremendous Del Toro.
[Benicio del Toro] puts in a heart-wrenching performance.
February 2, 2008
Director contenders that currently are or were
at one point in the running at Univeral to replace
Mark Romanek to direct The Wolfman:
Martin Campell (out)
Bill Condon
Frank Darabont
Breck Eisner
Joe Johnston
John Landis
James Mangold
Neil Marshall
Brett Ratner
Matt Reeves (out)
The current word is that Brett Ratner's chances are dimishing.
February 1, 2008
Universal is wasting no time in its search for a director
for The Wolfman following Mark Romanek's exit from
the period horror movie.
Brett Ratner, Frank Darabont, James Mangold and
Joe Johnston have either met with the studio and
producers are expected to do so in the coming days.
Bill Condon also is a helmer the studio is keen on.
The biggest challenge the studio faces is its inability to
work on the script because of the writers strike. Any
filmmaker coming on board takes on a locked script,
overseen by Romanek over several years, and many
directors want to put their stamp on it. Martin Campbell
is one helmer who was interrested but
he is no longer in contention.
Another potential wrinkle is Benicio del Toro. The actor,
known to be choosy with parts and directors, might
have a say in the process.
Many on the list are writer-directors, but Ratner is not.
The director, who met with the studio Wednesday, is
emerging as the strongest contender because of the fact
that he has experience in taking over a project that has
lost a director late in the game. Ratner famously took over
X-Men: The Last Stand after Bryan Singer flew
the coop to direct Superman Returns.
The studio is expected to find its man next week
for the film, which has a dedicated March start date.
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter)