A project long ago speculated about has been brought up again as Jonathan’s possible next project after “Shelter” (and before season 3 of “The Tudors” starts filming.) A recent article about Malcolm McDowell reports:
Like Travis, McDowell has proved a resilient soul, and his fortunes have revived in recent years. It is now more than 20 years since he last smoked a cigarette, drank alcohol or did drugs. He recently began work on an adaptation of the Thomas Mann novella Mario and the Magician by the Get Carter director Mike Hodges. He plays opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers, with whom he worked on I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (2003): “I had to bugger him, poor blighter. He’ll get his own back with this one, big time.”
You can read more information about the Thomas Mann novella on Wikipedia.
Sources: Sheila, 59walnut56, Times Online
Variety confirms that Jonathan has joined the cast of Shelter, which is expected to begin shooting late March:
Rhys Meyers joins Moore in ‘Shelter’
Mans Marlind, Bjorn Stein to direct Nala thriller
By DAVE MCNARY
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is looking for “Shelter” opposite Julianne Moore in a supernatural horror thriller being produced by Nala Films.
“Shelter,” based on a script by Michael Cooney (”Identity”), will be directed by the Swedish duo Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein (”Storm”). Lensing starts in late March in Pittsburgh.
The logline is being kept under wraps, and the project’s financed through Nala Investments, parent of Nala Films. Darlene Caamano Loquet, Nala Films prexy, and Emilio Diez Barroso, chairman-CEO of Nala Investments, will produce along with Mike Macari and Neal Edelstein of Macari Edelstein films.
Rhys Meyers stars in Showtime’s “The Tudors.” Other recent credits include “Match Point,” “Mission: Impossible 3″ and “August Rush.”
Source: Variety
From Variety comes word that Jonathan is in talks to star in a new project titled “Shelter” and co-starring Julianne Moore.
Icon takes ‘Shelter’
Icon has acquired U.K. and Australian rights to Mans Marlin and Bjorn Stein’s supernatural thriller “Shelter” and Oren Peli’s low-budget horror pic “Paranormal Activity.” Both pix were being handled by IM Global. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is in talks to star in the $25 million “Shelter,” with shooting set to begin in March.
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers to Star in Horror Thriller ‘Shelter’
The King Henry VIII in television series “The Tudors” Jonathan Rhys-Meyers will be heading to a horror thriller project. Bloody-disgusting reported that the 30-year-old Irish-born actor will be testing his acting talent by starring in “Shelter” alongside Julianne Moore.
Though said to be cast in the Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein directed-film, details about Rhys-Meyers’ character hasn’t been announced yet. Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Moore will be depicting a forensic psychiatrist specializing in uncloaking multiple personality disorder.
Penned by Michael Cooney, the Nala Films’ project follows the psychiatrist as she discovers that the multiple personalities of her latest patient are all victims of a murder. “Shelter” is scheduled to start shooting on March 31 in Pittsburgh and New York.
Sources: Variety, aceshowbiz
From an article on Malcolm McDowell, during his Cannes Film Festival press interviews, comes speculation about a possible new project in the works for Jonny:
McDowell has spent decades as a journeyman actor in U.S. television with the occasional opportunity for something original such as Mike Hodges’ excellent “ll Sleep When I’m Dead.” He is planning to work with Hodges again on a screen treatment of the Thomas Mann novella “Mario and the Magician” costarring with Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Kaplan, who is raising the money for it, says they had wanted to do it several years ago with McDowell playing Mario and Laurence Olivier as the magician, but it never happened.
No other details or sources on this. Thanks to Sheila for finding this.
According to Variety and Production Weekly, Jonathan has been cast in a new period drama called “The Children Of Huang Shi” and set in China.
From Production Weekly:
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Radha Mitchell, Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh will star in the period drama “The Children Of Huang Shi.” Roger Spottiswoode will direct from a screenplay by Jane Hawksley, about young British journalist, George Hogg (Meyers), who with the assistance of a courageous Australian nurse (Mitchell), saves a group of orphaned children during the Japanese invasion of China in 1937. Faced with advancing Japanese troops, he leads the children on a 1000 mile trek across China to a safe haven. Filming is set to begin on November 13 in the western province of Gansu, the studios of Hengdian in south-east China, and Melbourne, Australia.
From Variety:
Thesp leads ‘Children’
Rhys Meyers to topline historical pic
By NICOLE LAPORTE
Jonathan Rhys Meyers has been cast as the lead in “The Children of Huang Shi,” which Roger Spottiswoode will direct.
Hyde Park Intl., Sony Classics and Dendy Films will distribute the Chinese-Australian-German co-production.
Also cast in the pic are Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun Fat and Radha Mitchell.
Shooting begins Nov. 13 in the Chinese province of Gansu.
Set in war-ravaged China during the late 1930s, “Huang Shi” is based on true events. It’s the story of a young Englishman, George Hogg (Rhys Meyers), who led 60 orphaned boys on a journey across the Liu Pan Shan mountains to safety on the edge of the Mongolian desert.
Jane Hawksley penned the script.
Arthur Cohn, Wieland Schulz-Keil, Ming Prods.’ Peter Loehr, Bluewater Pictures’ Jonathan Shteinman and Zero Fiction/Zero West’s Martin Hagemann produce. Chinese distribution and production house Qixinran is co-producing.
Hyde Park will sell select international rights to the pic at AFM next week.
From Bootstrap Films (thanks to Shelia for the find) comes word about a possible new project for Jonathan:
Following on the success of the short film, WHAT IF, the project is currently being developed into a feature film. WHAT IF is produced by Bootstrap Films and Colin Farrell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Brendan Gleeson will star in the feature film version with Simon Delaney and Hugh Lee.
The feature is a comedy, which tells the story of two movie stuntmen who, looking for a way out, write a screenplay with unforeseen consequences, and is set to go into production in Ireland in 2007. The project is written by Alan Walsh and Columb Farrelly and will be directed by Alan Walsh.
Apart from this news on the production website, there’s no further confirmation or reports yet.
Another possible new project. From Variety:
The N.Y.-based Louverture has also confirmed cast on the $30 million “Toussaint,” about 18th century Haitian revolution hero Toussaint L’Ouverture, which will mark [Danny] Glover’s feature directing debut.
Attached, said Barnes, are Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Roger Guenveur Smith (Final Destination), Mos Def, Isaach de Bankole (Casino Royale) and Gallic actor Richard Bohringer (Cavalcade).
Pic’s script is by Barnes and Vijay Balakrishnan. It is produced by Glover, Barnes, Chris Curling at the U.K.’s Zephyr Films, Genevieve Hofmeyr at South Africa’s Moonlighting and Teboho Mahlatsi, Desiree Markgraaf and Angus Gibson from The Bomb Shelter, also in South Africa.
The film will go into pre-production, shooting in South Africa late 2006 and early 2007, Glover said.
“We’re shooting in South Africa as a commitment to supporting filmmaking there,” Glover added.
This sounds like another great project for Jonny! Thanks to rascallion for the news.
Jonathan is featured in the June 2006 issue of UK Glamour. And Production Weekly is reporting a new project for Jonathan that would start production late this year (and presumably after he completes production on 11 episodes of “The Tudors”):
Michelle Williams to Play Bronte
Source: Production Weekly May 11, 2006
Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain) is set to play the title character in Angela Workman’s Bronte, reports Production Weekly. The big screen biopic is based on the life of Charlotte Bronte, author of classic novel “Jane Eyre.” The cast also includes Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Imelda Staunton, Brian Cos and Ben Chaplin. Workman also wrote the script for the film, which starts production later this year.
No other confirmation yet on this but it certainly sounds like an intriguing film. Thanks to Shelia for the news.
Exciting news to report about an interesting new project for Jonathan. From Zap2It:
Showtime has snagged “Elvis” and “Match Point” star Jonathan Rhys-Meyers to take the lead role in “The Tudors,” a new series doubling as drama and English history lesson.
Showtime has ordered 10 episodes of “The Tudors,” which will star Rhys-Meyers as Henry VIII, the ruler best remember for his later, more portly years. Instead, “The Tudors” will focus on the early part of his reign, which lasted from 1509 to 1547.
Michael Hirst, who knows a few things about royalty as the screenwriter of “Elizabeth,” wrote the first five hours of “The Tudors” and at least the first two episodes will be directed by Charles McDougall, an Emmy winner for the “Desperate Housewives” pilot.
“Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is one of the hottest young movie stars working today and his incredible range as an actor, playing everything from historical figures to Elvis Presley, makes him an immensely thrilling choice to play this new, younger incarnation of the most infamous King ever to rule Great Britain,” says Showtime Entertainment President Robert Greenblatt. “As a producer of ‘Elvis,’ I had the chance to get to know Jonathan and see him craft a performance of a character that many doubted could be honestly or sensitively portrayed.”
Greenblatt adds, “He is one of the most talented rising film stars working today and his desire to do this series in the midst of his movie career catching fire is indicative of that great U.K. tradition where actors sign on to projects that they fall in love with.”
Showtime is aiming for a 2007 premiere for “The Tudors.”
Filming will begin after the filming of “August Rush” in Dublin, Ireland. Jonathan has signed on for at least 3 seasons of the show, which is a typical television show contract. Showtime is a cable station in the US and has so far ordered 10 episodes of the series for a premiere in 2007. It is not known if Showtime will sell the series overseas. And lastly, the February issue of Spin Magazine has a 2 page feature on Jonathan.
From Production Weekly (thanks to moonatnight for passing this along):
“Mission: Impossible 3″ co-stars Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, may reunite on Kirsten Sheridan’s upcoming fantasy love story “August Rush”. Freddie Highmore (”Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) and Robin Williams star in the film, which starts shooting February 13 in New York. Set in Central Park, it’s the story of young lovers and gifted musical prodigies Louis and Lyla have one night together before they are parted for ten years. But that one night leaves a legacy of a child, August, and the start of a musical journey that unites an extraordinary family. Highmore will play the boy and Williams the mysterious benefactor wizard.
