Tag Archives: matt damon

HollywoodNews.com: Although their lives have been busy with plenty of work and kids, it looks like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have found some time to reunite.
The best friends were reportedly spotted attending a meeting together in Santa Monica where they were allegedly talking about a new project, states UsMagazine.com. It is rumored they are working on bringing the story of mobster Whitey Bulger to the big screen.
Affleck will reportedly direct while Damon is allegedly scheduled to star in the film.
The two haven’t worked together recently but have remained close friends all these years.
Are you looking forward to them working together?
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HollywoodNews.com: To the surprise of no one, the top film of the weekend was The Bourne Legacy. With $40 million, the fourth entry in the ten-year old franchise opened well above the $27 million debut of The Bourne Identity during June 2002, but that’s mostly due to ten years of inflation as The Bourne Identity’s opening would equal $38 million today. It’s below the $52 million debut of The Bourne Supremacy back in July 2004, and understandably well below the $69 million opening weekend of The Bourne Ultimatum back in August 2007.
This spin-off/reboot of the Matt Damon-led Bourne series showcased Jeremy Renner as a totally different government assassin in the same world as the three prior Bourne films. Helmed by Tony Gilroy (who had a hand in writing all three prior adaptations), Universal sadly spent $125 million on this quasi-sequel. So if the film ‘merely’ approaches the $121 million gross of the first film and earns about that much overseas ($92 million for a $214 million total), it won’t be profitable. The endless loop on USA starting in 2015 won’t hurt. The second and third films grossed $176 million and $227 million in the US respectively while earning $288 million and $422 million worldwide respectively (Bourne Ultimatum basically doubled Bourne Supremacy’s overseas take). If the film excels overseas, which it now must, matching the $288 million gross of Bourne Supremacy isn’t out of the question (it opened in a few markets this weekend and earned $7.8 million overseas).
To read more go to Mendelson’s Memo
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By Sean O’Connell
hollywoodnews.com: Vanity Fair teased the cover of its latest issues, celebrating the power of three dashing leading men in George Clooney, Matt Damon and Daniel Craig. We have the full image, photographed by the legendary Annie Leibovitz, below.
As part of the magazine’s February issue, Clooney, Damon and Craig participate in the Proust Questionnair, revealing insights into their personalities that might not be evident from what we see on screen.
For example, the star of “The Descendants” jokes that if he could come back from the dead in another form, it would be as his dog because “he lives better.” Craig, meanwhile, takes a break from Bond to explain that he values patience in his friends above all, but doesn’t like his knees. And you’ll never guess what he considers his most treasured possession.
As for Damon, the star of “Contagion” and “We Bought a Zoo” says that his greatest achievement is his marriage, that his real life heroes are his parents, and that his favorite names are those of his wife and children. He and Clooney both wish they could play instruments, while the more practical Craig only wishes he had opposable toes.
There’s plenty more in the issue, which you’ll want to pick up if you see it at a newsstand.
Clooney, meanwhile, is having an excellent Tuesday, as his films “The Descendants” and “The Ides of March” earned crucial nominations from the Producers Guild of America. Learn more here.

Photo by by Annie Leibovitz and courtesy of Vanity Fair
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HollywoodNews.com: Brad Pitt has been voted the Top Money-Making Star of 2011 in Quigley Publishing Company’s 80th Annual Poll of Motion Picture Exhibitors. This is Pitt’s sixth appearance in the Poll, but his first win. Exhibitors felt Pitt was responsible for more traffic to theatres than any other Hollywood star based on his performances this year in “Moneyball,” “The Tree of Life” and “Happy Feet Two.” (voice)
The Quigley Poll, conducted each year since 1932, is an annual survey of motion picture theatre owners and film buyers, which asks them to vote for the ten stars that they believe generated the most box-office revenue for their theatres during the year. It has been long regarded as one of the most reliable indicators of a Star’s real box-office draw because the selections are made by professionals whose livelihood depends on choosing the films and actors that will bring audiences to their theatres. The Quigley Poll appears annually in Quigley Publishing Company’s International Motion Picture Almanac and on our web site: www.quigleypublishing.com. Both list the results of all the Polls since Marie Dressler, Janet Gaynor and Joan Crawford took the top three places in 1932.
George Clooney placed second this year based on “The Ides of March,” where he was also the Director, Producer and Co-writer and “The Descendants.” Johnny Depp, last year’s winner, made it to #3 this year with 2011 roles in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “The Rum Diary.” Depp has placed in the poll seven times as has this year’s #4, Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred in “J. Edgar.” Matt Damon, #5, had a very busy year with “Contagion,” “The Adjustment Bureau,” “Margaret” and “We Bought a Zoo.”
2009′s winner, Sandra Bullock, placed #6, which marks her fifth appearance in the Poll. She first placed in the survey in 1995. There were two first-timers this year, Bradley Cooper #7 and Ben Stiller #10. Bradley Cooper was in “The Hangover Part II” and Ben Stiller was in “Tower Heist.” Robert Downey, Jr. was #8 on the strength of “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” and Meryl Streep was #9 as ‘The Iron Lady” and is in the Top Ten for the fourth time.
Tom Cruise has not placed in the Poll since 2006 but he has been in the Top Ten 20 times since 1983, and been voted number one the most of any actor – seven times. Tom Hanks, [...]

By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Matt Damon might have put his foot in his mouth during a recent GQ magazine interview — where he lobbed insults at his “Bourne” collaborator Tony Gilroy and his half-baked treatment of a fourth “Bourne” script – but the A-list star (and one-time “Bourne” lead) claims he had a reason for the comments.
If you didn’t hear, Damon called Gilroy’s draft for a fourth “Bourne” film “unreadable” in the GQ interview. Damon suggested that its part of the reason why he walked away from the franchise.
“It was idiotic of me to say anything. At the end of the day, it’s between me and Tony, and we’ll figure it out or we won’t,” Damon now says after the fact.
The rift, according to THR, really exists between Gilroy (a longtime “Bourne” writer) and director Paul Greengrass, who helmed parts two and three. “Paul and Tony have clashing styles,” a source close to the production revealed. “Tony does all the work before and delivers a finished script. Paul wants the script to be ever-evolving during shooting.”
And while Gilroy is directing a fourth “Bourne” without Damon (going with Jeremy Renner in his place), the star of “We Bought a Zoo” feels he could return to the franchise somewhere down the road.
“I think if [Bourne Legacy] doesn’t work, we can just ignore it and pretend it didn’t happen, and that’d be fine,” Damon says. “But I expect that it will work and only help us if we did another one, which I’d love to do.”
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By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Bradley Cooper appears to be the “Man.”
That would be “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” a spy thriller based on the classic television show that Steve Soderbergh is hoping to convert into a feature film (and possible franchise). Cooper would fill a lead role that, at various points, had been believed to be going to Matt Damon, Johnny Depp or George Clooney.
Variety now links the “Hangover” star to the role of Napoleon Solo. He’d head to Soderbergh’s film after wrapping his work on David O. Russell’s “The Silver Linings Playbook” and Alex Proyas’ “Paradise Lost.”
Busy times for Cooper. I wonder what that means for a third “Hangover,” which has been rumored by might be on the backburner as all of the stars (from Cooper to Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis) entertain plenty of other options.
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HollywoodNews.com: Matt Damon may be making his directorial debut with a new film that he will also be starring in with ‘The Office’s’ John Krasinski.
Damon is reportedly going to be involved in an untitled drama that was also written by himself and Krasinski, states The Hollywood Reporter. Krasinski reportedly developed the idea with Dave Eggers and then got in touch with Damon about writing it together.
Damon will also produce the film with Chris Moore.
The film reportedly revolves around a salesman whose life is changed after moving to a small town.
Are you looking forward to them working together?
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By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Steven Soderbergh’s long-rumored Liberace project finally is moving forward with Michael Douglas in the lead role as the legendary pianist and showman.
“Behind the Candelabra” will be filmed for HBO Films by Soderbergh from a screenplay by Richard LaGravenese, THR reports. And in the key role of Liberace’s young lover, Soderbergh has lured his regular collaborator, Matt Damon (“Contagion,” “The Informant!”)
“This is a story that’s going to surprise a lot of people,” HBO Films president Len Amato said in an announcement. “It’s funny, heartbreaking and always fascinating, and we are delighted that Jerry [Weintraub] and Steven brought the film to HBO. With Steven at the helm, directing such accomplished actors as Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, this is a dream project for us.”
“I’ve wanted to make a film about Liberace for a very long time, and after the amazing experience I had with HBO on ‘His Way,’ I knew that they were absolutely the right place for this movie,” Weintraub said. “I am thrilled that we have the incomparable Michael Douglas to inhabit the role of Liberace, as well as the exceptional Matt Damon to play the pivotal part of Scott Thorson. Putting these two fine actors in the creative hands of Steven Soderberg — it doesn’t get better than that.”
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By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Has this year’s race to fill Oscar’s five Best Actor slots already been settled? In September?!
No, not by any stretch, though it does seem – at this stage in the game – that the Best Actor category is more crowded than any other field as we continue to track performances and films that will be singled out by Academy voters.
Following successful runs through Telluride and Toronto, “The Artist” and “The Descendants” appear to have made contenders out of Jean Dujardin and George Clooney, respectively. Some believe Leonardo DiCaprio has an excellent shot for Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar,” though the movie has yet to screen. The same goes for Gary Oldman in Tomas Alfredson’s “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” though positive words out of Venice are all we have to go on at this point.
After those four, speculation runs rampant. Can Owen Wilson ride the coattails of Woody Allen’s beloved “Midnight in Paris,” which many say has a shot at Best Picture? Can Fox Searchlight get the mesmerizing Michael Fassbender into the discussion for “Shame,” or will the graphic nudity be a problem for older Academy members? Will “Rampart” push Woody Harrelson into the race? Does anybody remember Paul Giamatti’s fantastic “Win Win” turn? Does Ryan Gosling have a shot for “Drive” or “Ides of March?” Then there are weighty performances from the likes of Tom Hanks (“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”) and Matt Damon (“We Bought a Zoo”) yet to drop. Will they gain traction?
But the discussion as of late, what with “Moneyball” ready to open next Friday, involves Brad Pitt and whether or not he’s a “lock” (as much as anyone can be a lock in September) for one of five slots.
I raved about Pitt in my own “Moneyball” review, writing that he gave “a charismatic, bulldog performance” as Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, and one that should catapult him into the Best Actor field.
From my review:
To that end, Pitt couldn’t play Beane 10 years ago. His own experiences as an actor solidify decisions he makes as a performer in Miller’s film. Pitt’s face, always handsome, is now interesting enough to hold the screen if Miller chooses to linger on it for long stretches, and Pitt has learned how to say a mouthful without using any dialogue. It’s a great performance in a solid movie. If “Moneyball” hits a triple, Pitt [...]

By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Once the frenzy surrounding the Toronto International Film Festival draws to a close, I’m going to do a comprehensive piece on the “unknowns,” the Oscar hopefuls that have yet to glide across our radars. I’ll turn my attention to Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar,” Stephen Daldry’s “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” Phyllida Lloyd’s “The Iron Lady” and Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” for sure.
And then there’s Cameron Crowe’s “We Bought a Zoo,” which I’m starting to expect has the potential to make a bigger splash than maybe we think at this early stage of the race.
Crowe’s “Elizabethtown” didn’t live up to his standards, and it helps us forget that he’s responsible for such powerful and engaging films as “Say Anything,” “Almost Famous” and “Jerry Maguire.” That last one — which earned Cuba Gooding Jr. a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as well as nominations for Best Actor (Tom Cruise), Film Editing (Joe Hutshing), Writing (Crowe) and Picture — comes to mind watching the first trailer for “Zoo.” The film stars Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson in the story of a man who moves his family to the rural confines of Southern California to renovate a failing zoo.
The trailer’s below. It has all of the elements we’ve come to want in a Crowe film, from an endearing lead character with adorable kids to the perfectly selected Tom Petty track “Don’t Come Around Here No More” as his music bed. Can “We Bought a Zoo” find its way into the Oscar race? Is it even an awards film, or just a crowd-pleaser from a gifted storyteller who has shown over the years that he’s capable of spinning a winning tale?
“Zoo” opens everywhere on Dec. 23.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgnhnwOsNVM
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