Taymor's back with a Tempest

Remember Julie Taymor's Titus? Yea insane movie. But apparently she has a soft spot for those crazy Shakespeare plays. Cause she's make Shakespeare's Tempest into a movie with Helen Mirren as Prospero AHEM I mean Prospera. Yep; Gender change. Taymor's of course better known for her 'Across the Universe' and 'The Lion King' on Broadway. Oh yea and she's making a Spider-Man Musical; no lie.

The film also stars Russell Brand, Djimon Hounsou, Alfred Molina (all pictured above) Alan Cumming, David Strathairn, and Chris Cooper. AMAZING Cast.

Where art Thor?

After Matthew Vaughn (Stardust) has delayed beginning to direct Thor due to his filming of a new comic book adaptation of Kick-Ass. So we have a new director and it's very surprising:

Kenneth Branagh

The famed Shakespearean actor and director who has directed such non-Shakespearean movies such as Dead Again and Frankenstein and his last film was the financial failure As You Like It of the famed Shakespearean comedy.

The Thor script is written by by Mark Protosevich, screenwriter for the recent Will Smith hit I Am Legend. Marvel describes it as their Lord of the Rings and the plan is for Thor to be in Marvel's future team movie, The Avengers.

Gnomeo and Juliet

A new Shakespeare movie? Animated? With Elton John Songs? I'm there.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

NEW YORK -- James McAvoy and Emily Blunt might soon discover the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence -- if you're a garden gnome in love.

The pair are in negotiations to play the title roles of "Gnomeo and Juliet," a CGI-animated Shakespeare adaptation from Miramax and Elton John's Rocket Pictures.

The film will feature several John classics but not Kate Winslet; she was first attached to voice Juliet two years ago and fell out because of scheduling conflicts. Tim Rice also was approached to write original songs with his "Lion King" partner John at the time, but the soundtrack now will be filled with the performer's well-known hits and possibly a few new tracks.

In the loose and edgy adaptation of Shakespeare's play, McAvoy ("Atonement") and Blunt ("The Devil Wears Prada") would play lovers from rival gardens. John, who is producing alongside his offscreen partner David Furnish, Baker Bloodworth and Steve Hamilton Shaw, is said to be pursuing big-name talent to voice supporting roles.

Rocket initially brought "Gnomeo" to Walt Disney Feature Animation, but several years later the project was dropped by incoming Pixar executives John Lasseter and Ed Catmull. Miramax president Daniel Battsek, who followed the project while at Buena Vista International, persuaded Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook to revive it at his specialty division in April 2006.

Kelly Asbury will direct from an original script by Rob Sprackling and John R. Smith. Kevin Cecil, Andy Riley and Mark Burton have worked on later versions of the screenplay. Now in the storyboard stage, production is expected to be completed by 2010.

McAvoy, repped by WMA and United Agents, had his first big-budget hit with this summer's "Wanted." After a string of upcoming indies, the CAA- and Ken McReddie Associates-repped Blunt is expected to follow suit with "The Wolfman" in summer 2009.


Remember the last time Elton John did the music for an animated Shakespeare movie? No? Well it was called The Lion King.