Gal Gadot to play Wonder Woman on the big screen

Gal Gadot stars under the direction of Patty Jenkins in the
famed DC Amazon Princess’s first time headlining on the big screen

Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ Wonder Woman feature film, the highly anticipated action adventure from director Patty Jenkins (“Monster,” AMC’s “The Killing”), starring Gal Gadot (the “Fast & Furious” movies) in the role of Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. The character will make her big screen debut this spring in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” but the new film will mark her first time headlining a feature.


The film also stars Chris Pine (the “Star Trek” films) as Captain Steve Trevor, Robin Wright (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), Danny Huston (“Clash of the Titans,” “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”), David Thewlis (the “Harry Potter” films), Ewen Bremner (“Exodus: Gods and Kings”), Saïd Taghmaoui (“American Hustle”), Elena Anaya (“The Skin I Live In”) and Lucy Davis (“Shaun of the Dead”).

The film is being produced by Charles Roven, Zack Snyder and Deborah Snyder, with Richard Suckle, Stephen Jones, Wesley Coller, Geoff Johns and Rebecca Roven serving as executive producers.

Joining Jenkins behind the camera are director of photography Matthew Jensen (“Chronicle,” “Fantastic Four,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), Oscar-nominated production designer Aline Bonetto (“Amélie,” “A Very Long Engagement,” “Pan”), and Oscar-winning editor Martin Walsh (“Chicago,” “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” “V for Vendetta”), and Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Topsy-Turvy”).


Principal photography will take place on location in the UK, France and Italy.
Set to open in 2017, the Wonder Woman feature film is based on characters created by William Moulton Marston, appearing in comic books published by DC Entertainment. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

“INTO THE WOODS” JOURNEYS INTO THE BIG SCREEN

Twelve years ago, following the phenomenal success of the big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical “Chicago” (which won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture), director Rob Marshall sat down with Stephen Sondheim and expressed an interest in directing a film version of one of the legendary composer’s stage productions. At the top of Sondheim’s list: “Into the Woods,” one of his most acclaimed – and poignant – works, and one which he thought would be a perfect fit for Marshall.

Marshall and his producing partner, John DeLuca, had been fans of Sondheim and James Lapine’s landmark musical since it opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre in 1987. In describing the piece Marshall says, “The story seamlessly intertwines Sondheim’s emotional, funny and brilliant score with Lapine’s intricate and masterful book, which is a modern twist on several beloved fairy tales, and is entertaining, while examining complex themes like the consequences of wishes, the parent/child relationship, greed, ambition, loss, and, perhaps most importantly, unconditional love and the power of the human spirit.”

Then in 2011, on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Marshall heard President Obama addressing the families of the victims. In an effort to console them, Obama said, “You are not alone...No one is alone.” The phrase “No One is Alone,” which is also one of the most moving and memorable songs from “Into the Woods,” struck a chord with Marshall, and in that moment he knew that the time was finally right to bring the beloved musical to the screen.

“In many ways, I think ‘Into the Woods’ is a fairy tale for the 21st century post 9/11 generation,” Marshall says. “Sondheim and Lapine were way ahead of their time when they wrote it. The comforting knowledge that we are not alone in this unstable world gives us all that glimmer of hope.”

For Sondheim, “’No One Is Alone’” was written as a community song. “I believe Arthur Wing Pinero said that in writing a play, you tell the audience what you’re going to do, you do it and then you tell them that you’ve done it. If you tell them that you’ve done it, then it makes a package,” he says.

“’No One Is Alone’ tells them that we’ve done it,” Sondheim explains. “This is what the show has been about. No one is alone: we are all connected in some way and we are all responsible for each other’s actions. It’s something I believe firmly and it’s something that’s worth writing about.”

Marshall and DeLuca took their passion project to Disney, and immediately knew they had found the perfect company to bring the stage musical to life. “We were thrilled that the company embraced the project the way that they did,” says Marshall. “They were truly interested in expanding the definition of what a ‘modern fairy tale’ film could be.”

Producer Marc Platt, who joined the duo in making the film, says, “Disney is a company that historically tells the classic fairy tales, so moving forward it should also be the company that finds new, contemporary and unexpected ways to tell these stories.”

So after 27 years, the long-awaited classic was set to begin its journey forward. “The Woods of our story is universal, and can mean so many things,” Marshall says. “It is the place you go to find your dreams, confront your fears, lose yourself, find yourself, grow up and learn to move forward. It’s all part of life. So ‘Into the Woods’ we go, again and again...”

“Into the Woods” is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy)—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife (James Corden & Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them.
The principal cast is led by Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine and Johnny Depp.

Opening across the Philippines on January 28, 2015, “Into the Woods” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

Chris Pine exposes his funny side in "Horrible Bosses 2"

Chris Pine plays Rex Hanson , a joyful narcissist and a handsome villain to the "Horrible Bosses 2".
Action and dramatic actor Chris Pine (“Star Trek: Into Darkness”) exposes his funny side who has to contend with the giant shadow cast by his multimillionaire father, Bert (Christoph Waltz), in New Line Cinema’s hilarious comedy “Horrible Bosses 2.”

Pine cites some of the possible reasons for Rex’s volatile mental state. “Rex wants power and he gets continually emasculated by his distant, evil father, who is never satisfied with anything he does and seems not to care much for his privileged brat of a son. Poor Rex. He makes me laugh. He’s smart but he’s not all that self-aware, and he gets stranger and stranger as the story progresses.”

“We wanted a unique villain with a lot of contradictions and a great sense of humor, and he also had to be good-looking, dapper and cool because we liked the idea that our guys kind of have man-crushes on him a little bit,” says director Sean Anders. “You also get the feeling that on some level Rex really likes these guys and has a good time with them. Of course, he has to screw them over because that’s who he is, but at the same time I think he considers them his friends, and Chris got that crazy balance beautifully.”

Pine, who had been looking to do a comedy and responded in a big way to the “Horrible Bosses 2” script, took a purposefully relaxed approach as the fourth to an already precision-calibrated threesome. “They all take it seriously but they also know how to play. My prescription was to stay loose, hang with the guys and follow the music of the scene,” he says, which gave them a different energy to play against.

Those inclined to judge Rex too harshly should just look at what he comes from: Bert Hanson, a man who, by his own satisfied admission, makes new enemies every day. “What I like about Bert,” Anders offers, “is that this guy who comes in and totally destroys their lives probably only thought about it for 11 seconds because, to him, it’s just business.”

Having cast Christoph Waltz as the quintessential villain, the director admits, “It was a bit daunting, bringing him into some of these silly scenarios, because it’s impossible not to be mindful of those amazing, Oscar-winning dramatic roles he’s most famous for. But that’s precisely why he was right for Bert. His job here was to be the heavy. Had it been someone else who didn’t have Christoph’s presence, Bert wouldn’t have been as threatening.”

Waltz didn’t need to play funny because the humor of his scenes sparked from playing it straight. After all, it’s Bert’s casual cruelty that drives Nick, Dale and Kurt to retaliation, not to mention the depths of depravity to which his heartlessness goads his own son.
“My part is fairly straightforward and serious, but it gives them the opportunity to spring into action, like the sprocket in a mechanism,” says Waltz. “Comedy is all about timing, tempo and rhythm. In this case, my character is a vehicle for these fabulously funny people, and that’s what makes the machinery work. These guys have a great energy that is constantly running. It’s a fascinating process to watch.”

“Horrible Bosses 2” is the follow-up to the 2011 hit comedy “Horrible Bosses” and reunites Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis as everyone’s favorite working stiffs: Nick, Dale and Kurt.

Fed up with answering to higher-ups, Nick (Bateman), Dale (Day) and Kurt (Sudeikis) decide to become their own bosses by launching their own business. But a slick investor soon pulls the rug out from under them. Outplayed and desperate, and with no legal recourse, the three would-be entrepreneurs hatch a misguided plan to kidnap the investor’s adult son and ransom him to regain control of their company.

Jennifer Aniston and Oscar winner Jamie Foxx also reprise their “Horrible Bosses” starring roles, while Chris Pine and Oscar winner Christoph Waltz star as new adversaries standing between the guys and their dreams of success.

Opening across the Philippines on Nov. 26, “Horrible Bosses 2” is a New Line Cinema Presentation distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Chris Pine talks about being Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Chris Pine is the new Jack Ryan in Kenneth Branagh's upcoming action thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, based on the popular Tom Clancy novels. Pine's Jack Ryan is a CIA analyst who unwittingly discovers a Russian terrorist plot and is sent into the field to continue the investigation.
Chris Pine, is the fourth actor to take on the titular role of the CIA Operative (following in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck), The film co-stars  Keira Knightley, Kevin Costner and Kenneth Branagh.

His films include Just My Luck, Blind Dating, Smokin’ Aces, This Means War, People Like Us, Rise of the Guardians and Star Trek Into Darkness.

You’re following in the shoes of Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Alec Baldwin. How did you make the role your own?
I think I make the part my own simply by the fact that I’m in it so there are certain things that I bring to it that are different. I watched the films and enjoyed them growing up and I really like the spy genre. What I loved about Harrison is that he has an intrinsic humility to him that I think he brings to everything he does, whether it’s Clear And Present Danger or Patriot Games, where Anne Archer drives a Porsche and he has a Volkswagen Jetta and he has a tweed jacket that he seems to have had forever and I just loved that. I did this movie called This Means War that was all about a man in great suits who wants to be the James Bond type of spy and if you see some of the suits I wear in this you’ll know that Jack Ryan is not a man interested in threads – he would much rather go to a first edition book store. So I always loved that humility of Harrison and with Alec Baldwin I just love that kind of sharp, incisiveness he brought to it. He was like a razor in terms of his ability to cut up information and put it together and process it. And I loved that in The Hunt for Red October, in order to avert nuclear catastrophe, he had to figure out the mind of one man and it all came down to this man missing his wife. So there was a psychology to it I really liked. And I think what sets our film apart is that there is great action in this film and when Ken and I started, we talked about how often in films you see so much death and mayhem and violence and no one ever really pays attention to it – you know that a bad guy dies but he maybe also had a wife and a kid but you don’t know his background. So we thought it would be interesting to see the face of that part of the experience. What happens when an everyman is thrown into an extraordinary situation where he has to do things that you wouldn’t necessarily do on any given day and how does he deal with seeing death? How does he deal with inflicting violence? How does he deal with potentially killing someone? And I thought that was really interesting because I can’t recall where you see that happen in films of this genre; where you see people killed but you never see the effects of it. So I like that human aspect it has.

How did you prepare for your role?
I came to the UK last year before we started shooting and Ken organized some things for me. We went to the American Embassy in London and we had this little spy game to do, which was a lot of fun.

What did you have to do?
It’s known as a ‘drop’ in spy parlance and the whole thing was like being at spy camp. Ken was really proud of himself and he was like, ‘I’ve organized a little something for you Chris...’ and then we ended up at the American Embassy and the security team there were in on the plan. I had to find the people that were watching me and there was a drop at one point where I had to pick up a memory stick and do all kinds of stuff. It was a fun but as fun as it was even in that scenario, when you know that there are people out there watching you, your senses are immediately heightened and your heart starts to race.

Did it give you a taste of what it would be like to work for the CIA?
Yeah, and it certainly did that (laughs). And I obviously wasn’t in any danger so I can only imagine what people, real operatives, have to deal with.

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Did you talk to any real CIA agents?
I talked with a guy there who was the head of security at the Embassy in London, which is the biggest Embassy in Europe, and his stories about being in Beirut were just crazy. And it’s often less about the stories but more about the energy you get from people like that. I talked to Bob Baer and he’s written a couple of books and he was in the CIA and being around someone like that was really helpful and his stories are great, too. It’s all about the energy that people put out in the room.

Jack has been injured at the start the story. Did you do any research into that?
Jack Ryan has suffered a major back injury and he has to recuperate I went to a facility outside of London where veterans are recuperating from major traumatic events from Afghanistan and Iraq and I got to talk to some of them. And again, we were bringing it back to the facts – if you are in a helicopter crash, what does that mean? It’s major and traumatic and if you see violence and death and all sorts of horrible stuff, that has an effect on you. And it’s the idea that this is a man who is wounded, like any of us would be, psychologically as well as physically, but he still wants to serve. And I met many people who were gravely wounded and still wanted to serve. And I wanted to get my head around that because I am certainly not that courageous. I wanted to understand what that was all about and that was a real eye opener.

Does it make a difference that Kenneth Branagh is also acting as well as directing Jack Ryan?

What’s nice about working with an actor/ director that there is an understanding of the experience of the actors. Ken knows intrinsically what you are going through and what you may need at any given moment because he’s been there himself. And there’s a level of communication that’s better and easier often than with someone who hasn’t been an actor. Ken knows the experience and how it needs to be said to get across for me to achieve what he is looking for in a scene. And then he also brought things to it that was purely down to his talent as a director. This is a big action film and we were shooting relatively easy 11, 12-hour days and that just comes from Ken not over shooting it. Ken would have three cameras and he would block it off and we’d finish a three or four page scene in a day or less, which doesn’t happen very often and I like that. So I think with Ken, a lot of it is the way he communicates and a lot of it is has to do with his talent as a director.


Were you a fan of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels growing up?
I was born a fan of the films, that’s what brought me into the fold, and then I read some of his books.

And did you get the chance to meet Tom Clancy before his passing?
Sadly I didn’t know the man at all but I’m playing a character that he created that I love and I’ve loved for many years and I’m thankful that I have this opportunity. I wish I’d had the chance to meet him. My thoughts go out to his family.



How close do you think your character, Jack Ryan, is to reality?
We talked to people like Bob Baer who was an analyst with the agency for a while, and not only are the tricks and gadgets we use in the film very real but that this kind of thing – the financial terrorism that is a big part of our story – is very current. As we all know, we are in a new world where warfare and terror takes on many, many different forms and the financial system is so complicated as it is that you would need a PhD to figure out what is going on. But Jack has one. It’s really scary. It starts with a bank and goes beneath a bank and I think it is based in reality but hopefully this won’t happen.

You could argue that a good spy thriller has to reflect the time in which it is made and the Jack Ryan books have changed according to the time. Was it important for you that the film reflects the geo-political reality of our times?
It was of the utmost importance to me and I can’t tell you how many conversations I had with everyone involved. For me, the question always came down to what it meant to be a patriot because Jack is a patriot of sorts. And my contention was that in a post 9/11, era the world is much grayer than it was 25, 30 years ago. With the Cold War, there was a kind of easy black and white, much in the same way we view World War II, there was good and there was bad and it made life a lot easier. But it was different after 9/11 and I wasn’t interested in making a film that was about espousing the ideals of America or that America was great. For me, it was like watching what Harrison was about when he did the role, that this wasn’t a man that was tied to ideology – this is a man with a great internal moral compass who knew what right and wrong was. It’s a man who would stand up for what was right and I love that. I love the fact that he has an internal flag, that’s what he goes by, and if it meant disobeying, he would do that. And I always think that’s a definition of a hero that we all connect to that more than anything else. Once I found an inroad into the character, it made a lot of sense to me and I thought if we could make a film about an American spy post 9/11, a spy who is a good man but conflicted about what he has to do and he wanted to make sure he was serving on his own terms – I could understand that and I felt comfortable with it.

The spy genre has produced some great films and some enduring characters – James Bond, Jason Bourne for example – what will Jack Ryan bring to the audience?
I would say that James Bond has Q, Jason Bourne has his fists and Jack Ryan has his mind. And it’s about a regular man, albeit a smart man, who is way more comfortable in the world of his mind, in the world of the intellectual puzzles that he likes to figure out, who finds himself inextricably pulled towards the front line. Jack Ryan has a great amount of intellect and he has to find his way out of very dangerous physical and intellectual situations. It’s about a man who has to deal with all of this stuff that we know to be a part of the spy genre like death and intrigue and it’s about how a man like that deals with committing violence and protecting the people that he loves and all of that affects who he is and he doesn’t do it easily.

And how are plans for another Star Trek movie progressing?
I have no idea. Like I’ve said before, we are the last to know. I think they have broken ground on a script and I think JJ (Abrams) was meeting with directors but beyond that, I don’t know. We all have ideas about what we want to do and I think from the last film there is a lot of different ways for it to go so I’m fascinated to see what will happen. But I’m pretty sure it will be made in 2014.

“Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” is released and distributed by United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corp.SHOWING on JANUARY 15, 2014. NATIONWIDE