ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY and AWARD NEWS FROM HOLLYWOOD, compiled by REBECCA KEEGAN
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
It's Wednesday, and if you need me, I'll be questioning suspects in the dining car of the Orient Express.
Hello from Los Angeles, where we're keeping our monsters in the crypt, riding along with Sam Rockwell, and getting ink-stained fingers reading up on The Post.
IT'S . . . NOT ALIVE!
"You have created a monster and it will destroy you." So Dr. Frankenstein is warned in James Whale's original, 1931 Universal monster movie—and so it seems Universal's executives are finding today. Less than six months after kicking off an intended new franchise with the Tom Cruise starrer The Mummy, the studio's follow-up Dark Universe projects are moribund, according toThe Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit and Aaron Couch. The architects of the franchise, writer-producers Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan, have departed, and Universal has postponed Bill Condon'sBride of Frankenstein, which was supposed to start production in London this fall. The studio is also considering offering its stable of monster characters, including Frankenstein, Wolfman, and the Invisible Man, to other filmmakers, possibly producer Jason Blum.
As V.F.'s Laura Bradleywrote when The Mummy underwhelmed at the domestic box office over the summer, the movie failed to forge a clear identity for the series. Universal production chief Peter Cramer tells T.H.R. this doesn't necessarily mean the end, however: "We've learned many lessons throughout the creative process on Dark Universe so far, and we are viewing these titles as filmmaker-driven vehicles, each with their own distinct vision," Cramer said. "We are not rushing to meet a release date and will move forward with these films when we feel they are the best versions of themselves." In the meantime, Universal monster fans have plenty of other outlets for our ardor—including the latest season of the podcast You Must Remember This, about Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. It's worth sinking your teeth into.
All from the Everett Collection.
SAM I AM
V.F.'s Katey Rich writes:
Seven years since his first collaboration with writer and director Martin McDonagh, Sam Rockwell is debuting yet another indelible character in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and this one comes with the kind of buzz that might net him his first Oscar nomination. It's an exciting time for Rockwell, which is evident in his wide-ranging conversation with Vanity Fair's executive West Coast editor Krista Smith. The two cover everything from the "million drunk scenes" that prepared him for his police officer character in Three Billboards to his role in Charlie's Angels ("Phil Hoffman told me not to do it") to the unconventional way Brad Pitt convinced him to take a supporting role in 2007's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: "My doorbell rings, and I look and it's fucking Brad. He's got Zahara on his shoulders, and I'm in my apartment. He says, "you gonna make me walk up these stairs?" I said, "Come on, what are you doing here, what the fuck are you doing? Come on up, man."
ALL ABOARD
V.F.'s Hillary Busis writes:
Murder on the Orient Express is a lush period drama filled with bold-faced names (Michelle Pfeiffer! Judi Dench! Daisy Ridley!)—and gorgeous costumes to match. V.F. contributor Valentina Valentini got the inside story on outfitting the legendary train's glitzy inhabitants from costumer Alexandra Byrne, who's been working with director Kenneth Branagh—who also stars in this latest adaptation of Agatha Christie's mystery, as the genius detective Hercule Poirot—for decades. She and her team made the vast majority of Orient Express's costumes from scratch, leaning on just a few vintage pieces—like the flashy leather coat gangster Johnny Depp sports at the beginning of the film, and a gorgeous piece of lamé slung around Lucy Boynton. "It was just extraordinary—just under five yards for about £120," Byrne raved about her rare find. "You'd struggle to buy a piece of silk for that price."
IF SHE DOESN'T SCARE YOU
V.F.'s Yohana Desta writes:
Speaking of fabulous ensembles: few Disney villains have been as manically coiffed and perfectly dressed as Cruella de Vil. The fashionable character with a penchant for expensive fur was gloriously brought to live-action life by Glenn Close in the 1996 version of 101 Dalmatians, thanks in part to the work of costume designers Anthony Powell and Barbara Matera. And here's a chic fun fact: Close still has most of the costumes from her de Vil days, or at least did until recently. The actress kept a massive collection of iconic film costumes, thanks to her passion for design and a nifty clause in her contract that lets her keep her character's outfits. I spoke to Close about her collection, which is being donated to Indiana University, and those fabulous Cruella looks in particular. "Those clothes are incredible examples of the art of costuming," she said. They were also incredibly labor-intensive; it took Matera and Powell weeks to design and make the looks, which often required Close to slip her 21-inch waist into a suffocating corset. "You get in this panic," she said, remembering the times she almost fainted from the tightness. But don't worry—she still absolutely relishes the time she spent playing one of Disney's greatest villains.
TRAILER OF THE DAY
V.F.'s Laura Bradley writes:
Tom Hanks; Meryl Streep; Steven Spielberg. Any questions? The first trailer for The Post has arrived, and already it's got "Oscar potential" written all over it. The film, which follows The Washington Post's race to publish the Pentagon Papers, came together pretty quickly itself; Amy Pascal snagged the script just last year, shortly before the 2016 election. (It's no wonder that the movie quickly become a hot property, given its timely theme of holding powerful institutions accountable—in this case, the U.S. government.) In the trailer, we find the film's stars doing what they do best: Streep is formidable and unshakable, while Hanks remains an avatar for human decency. The film is set for limited release on December 22.
That's the news for this sunny Wednesday in L.A. What are you seeing out there? Send tips, comments, and Cruella de Vil's cigarette holder to Rebecca_Keegan@condenast.com. Follow me on Twitter @thatrebecca
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