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Meryl Streep to play Rocker Mom in Comedy Drama
Meryl Streep has been cast in ‘Ricky and the Flash’, a comedy-drama written by Diablo Cody, in which Streep will play a mother who is a grocery store checkout lady by day and a guitar-playing, hard rocker at night. Streep’s character sacrifices her family’s needs to chase her dream, but gets a chance to connect again with her estranged daughter.
Cody is best known for her writing ‘Juno’, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Most recently, Jonathon Demme (‘Silence of the Lambs’, ‘Philadelphia’) was attached to direct the film. Marc Platt and Mason Novick are producing. Tom Rothman’s Tristar Productions is in final negotiations to finance and distribute the Streep-starring feature, and it is hoped that production will commence this autumn.
Jason Bateman Narrates Lego Documentary
‘Beyond the Brick: A LEGO Brickumentary’ will be narrated by Jason Bateman, star of ‘Horrible Bosses’ and TV series ‘Arrested Development’. The documentary is to have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 20 (see here for Irish productions screening at the festival). It explores the impact of the LEGO brick and how it has been utilised in various creations.
Daniel Junge and Kief Davidson wrote and directed the film. Submarine Entertainment will handle its domestic sales while Gem Pictures, which also financed the film, will handle its foreign sales. Animated family feature ‘The LEGO Movie’ is currently fifth in the Irish box office and has generated over €3m in box office receipts.
Trailer for ‘The Drop’
A trailer has been released for crime drama-thriller ‘The Drop’, starring Tom Hardy (‘Inception’, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’) as well as James Gandolfini of ‘The Sopranos’ in his final role. The film will also star Noomi Rapace (‘Prometheus’) and Matthias Schoenaerts (‘Rust and Bone’, ‘Bullhead’), with a script by Dennis Lehane (‘Gone Baby Gone’, ‘Mystic River’) and direction by Michael R. Roskam (‘Bullhead’).
The film is about a lonely bartender, played by Hardy, who finds himself in a scheme whereby money is distributed to gangsters through Brooklyn’s bars. See the trailer below:
Irish Productions in Progress
There is much to be excited about here in Ireland also as highly-anticipated Irish film and TV productions are currently filming in different counties. ‘Brooklyn’, based on the Colm Tóibín novel and starring Saoirse Ronan alongside Domhnall Gleeson, is shooting this week in Co. Wexford. The 1950s-set feature will film for three weeks in Enniscorthy, Wexford and Dublin before moving to Montreal, Canada to shoot other scenes mid-April.
‘The Lobster’ is another feature film currently shooting. Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz and John C. Reilly among other cast members are filming for the Greek-Irish production in Kerry. The dystopian sci-fi film is produced by Element, Limp and Scarlet Films, with Yorgos Lanthimos directing. Both feature films are funded by the Irish Film Board.
Last but not least, the filming of ‘Love/Hate’ Season 5 is also ongoing. So far, the cast and crew have been spotted filming in various locations around Dublin including Phoenix Park and the Towers Pub, Ballymun. Most recently, Saoirse Ronan’s father, Paul, whose previous credits include ‘The Devil’s Own’ and ‘How I Live Now’, was confirmed to be a part of the this year’s cast. ‘Love/Hate’ Season 4 has received eight nominations at this year’s IFTAs and was the big winner at last year’s ceremony. The 2014 IFTAs take place this Saturday.
