There are some wonderful podcasts that have been posted on the official website for “Match Point”, featuring more interviews with Jonathan and his co-stars (thanks Shelia). Be sure to check them out!
And some good news to report! Jonathan has been offered and accepted a role in “August Rush”, a film set in New York City and to be directed by Kirsten Sheridan. Filming begins next year in New York and co-stars Freddie Highmore and Robin Williams. “August Rush” is a fantasy love story set in Central Park, where an orphaned musical prodigy uses his gift as a clue to finding his birth parents.
Jonathan attended this year’s Cannes Film Festival to promote Woody Allen’s new film, “Match Point”. It premiered on May 12 to glowing reviews. Jonathan received the Chopard Trophy for his work in the film as outstanding newcomer. He also attended the premiere of the final Star Wars film at Cannes with girlfriend Reena Hammer.
The CBS 4 hour miniseries “Elvis” debuted to excellent ratings and reviews poured in praising Jonathan’s portrayal of Elvis Presley. There is much Emmy buzz now!
Jonathan’s next film project, “Mission Impossible III” is set to start filming in August. No word yet on what character he’ll be playing. Jonathan is also rumored to be in talks to star in Nicolas Roeg’s next project, “Adina”. Jonny worked with Roeg years ago for “Samson and Delilah”.
Jonathan has been cast to play Elvis Presley in a CBS 4 hour mini-series on the rock and roll legend. Filming starts in January in New Orleans with an expected airdate during May sweeps. This is the first biopic that has the approval of the Presley estate. Which means it can use original recordings of his music. Robert Greenblatt and David Janollari from HBO’s Six Feet Under are producing.
From IGN:
“He was the first person I’d ever thought of for the role,” said exec producer Howard Braunstein. “I watched Bend It Like Beckham and when you see him, you just say, ‘He is Elvis.’ But at the time he wasn’t available, so we started the search. … He both has the physical look and the style that embodies Elvis, both the sweetness and the sex appeal.”
The nationwide publicity stunt, er, casting search lasted just long enough for Rhys-Meyers’ schedule to open up and allow him to accept the role. “Frankly, we never found anyone that really embodied the essence of Elvis,” Braunstein added. “There were those who looked like Elvis or sounded like Elvis, but they were imitators, not actors.”
Greenblatt reportedly said “Rhys-Myers didn’t audition for the gig but did shoot a piece of film in which he was made up like Elvis and showed off his King-ly accent. ‘It was uncanny. . .the dialogue sounded so authentic.’”
Just got some news. First, the Good Morning America interview has been postponed indefinitely.
Jonathan is not going to be doing “Vinyl”. Instead he has been offered and accepted a lead role in a new film by Bille August. “Explosion”, based on the novel Burden of Desire by Robert MacNeil, concerns the real life incident when a munitions ship blew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1917. At the heart of the story is a love triangle between an unhappily married young man, a psychiatrist, and a remarkable unconvential young widow. Shooting is scheduled to start mid-November in Nova Scotia, Canada. Also cast are Vanessa Redgrave and Rupert Everett.
Other good news regarding “Vanity Fair”… while garnering plenty of favorable reviews, it’s also performing well at the box office in the United States. It has so far managed to earn $11.7 million dollars in just 2 weeks of release.
The Woody Allen Summer Project has wrapped production. It looks like Jonathan is still going to be in “Vinyl” which starts filming in September. No word yet if the production is still happening since it’s been pushed back several times and changed a number of cast members.
“Vanity Fair” will be having a special premiere screening on August 19 in San Francisco with a director Q+A afterwards. To qualify for a pair of free tickets to the screening and interview, send a SASE to Vanity Fair, Chronicle Marketing, P.O. Box 7011, San Francisco, CA, 94120-7011. Entries must be received by Aug. 9. “Vanity Fair” will also be part of the competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival that runs from September 1-11.
Just got word that Jonathan has signed on for a part in Woody Allen’s next film. Production starts in July. More from movies.com:
Woody Allen Flick Gets Cast
Woody Allen, a director never content to rest on his laurels (even when some critics might wish that he would), has begun casting his upcoming summer movie project. Kate Winselt, Emily Mortimer, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers are the first actors to sign on for the film, according to Variety.
Interestingly, the notoriously reclusive and Manhattan-centric auteur has decided to film the as-yet-untitled movie entirely outside of New York, primarily, if not entirely, in London. The story, though (as usual) still unannounced, will reportedly focus on the upper class of the British capital.
Allen told Variety, “I have a great admiration for English actors and actresses and have used them at every opportunity over the years, but now I won’t have to import them to New York. ? I only hope I can live up to the high standards of British movies I grew up with.”
Filming is expected to take place in July and August. Allen’s next film to hit theaters, Melinda and Melinda, likely to be released this fall, has wrapped. Will Ferrell stars.
Thanks to Shelia and Mr. Crofts. A bit more film festival news to pass on. Outfest 2004 is having a special screening of “Velvet Goldmine” on July 10 at 6:45pm in Los Angeles. They are giving director Todd Haynes the Outfest Achievement Award to open the festival. Todd will be at the screening in person. You can purchase tickets for $10 online.
News on upcoming projects… Jonathan has been offered a part in “Vinyl”, which centers on the women behind a male rock band that is on the verge of signing a successful record deal. The hot cast includes Anna Faris, Thora Birch, Lukas Haas, Jena Malone, and Rosario Dawson. Filming is tentatively scheduled to begin this summer in Los Angeles. “Perfect Creature” is also expected to start filming this June in New Zealand. No confirmation yet if Jonathan will be doing this project or not.
Lots of movie news to report. First up, you can view a trailer for Vanity Fair on Yahoo! Movies. The film is scheduled for a limited release September 1 in the US. It is not playing at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
“The Lion in Winter” will have it’s premiere screening in Los Angeles on May 11 at the Pacific Design Center. No word on what cast members will be in attendance. It will have it’s premiere airing on May 23 on Showtime. Check local listings for all showtimes.
“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” is now out in limited release in the UK. The official UK website is up with photos and an excellent trailer. You can view the US trailer on Apple.
“Octane” is finally being released on DVD in the US with a new title, “Pulse”, on July 20. You can preorder a copy through Amazon.
“Perfect Creature” is popping up in news items again. Looks like this vampire project might be again in the works with talk of Jonathan having a role. From Z Review (thanks Daisy):
Arclight Films have picked up the international distribution rights to a project called Perfect Creature that is being Directed by Glenn Standring. The movie is being produced by Tim Sanders. Starring in the movie will be Dougray Scott, with Saffron Burrows and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in talks. The movie mixes science fiction and horror in a retelling of the original vampire myth, set in an alternate version of the 1960s. Themes include race, serial killings and the capacity of human beings to hope. Exteriors will be shot in Dunedin in New Zealand and Animation Research Limited will handle the effects.
Current Japanese magazine features on Jonathan:
- Dazed and Confused, May 2004
- Glamorous, May 2004
- Pict-Up, June/July 2004
- Premiere, June 2004
- Spoon, June 2004
- Screen, June 2004
- Roadshow, June 2004
- Eyescream Magazine, June 2004
Lots of cool news to report… First off, Jonathan has another movie to add to this credits. This time it’s a Hallmark Entertainment produced remake of “The Lion In Winter” that will air on the US cable network Showtime in late 2003. Jonathan stars as King Philip of France (Timothy Dalton played this role in the original award winning film). The movie also stars Glenn Close and Patrick Stewart. You can found out more information at an unofficial website for the original film and at the Hallmark Entertainment website. The character Jonathan plays is described as “venomous” in the synopsis on the Hallmark website.
The production website for the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Last Unicorn and IMDB have now listed Jonathan as part of the cast. Here’s what the production website had to say about Jonathan: “We have also the pleasure to announce that Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is willing to be Schmendrick the Magician. His incredible versatile and inspired acting style will add to the character humour, depth, passion and unforgettable moments.” The film is not scheduled to start production until this June with a possibly release date in December 2004. Christopher Lee and Mia Farrow are also to star. If you have not read this classic fantasy book, Schmendrick the Magician is one of the main roles and Jonathan is perfectly cast for this.
Fox Searchlight has finally put up an official website for Bend It Like Beckham. It opens March 12 in 6 theatres but will be opening in more theatres gradually. To find out where it will be playing, visit the Fox Searchlight website. It has also been confirmed that the film has not been dubbed. Only the trailer was altered.
“Prozac Nation” is also due for release March 14th. Nothing new has been posted on the Miramax website in months… but plenty of websites have the release date listed. Check out Moviefone to keep an eye on what theatres it may play in.
Some exciting news to report. First off… Jonathan has been cast in a new film already in production in Luxembourg called “The Emperor’s Wife”, directed by Belgian Julien Vrebos and co-starring Max Beesley, Johnny de Mol, and Leticia Dolera. Jonathan will be playing the part of the Chamberlain in what sounds like a grand love story with many twists. This is a period piece that is not set in any specific time or place. The story is inspired by the life of Suraya of Persia and the court of Istanbul in the 1920’s. Jonathan’s lead role is described as: “Distinguished, utterly loyal to his Emperor. Emotionally intense, yet meanwhile radiating the immemorial grace of royalty. Deeply moved inside, but outwardly obedient to protocol. Eventually his loyalty begins to shift from the Emperor to Sabah as he falls in love for the first time in his life.” The film is scheduled for release in Europe next fall. Check out the website for Fu Works productions for a complete film summary and plot description.
“Bend It Like Beckham” will be making it’s US debut at the Sundance Film Festival. Exact details on when it will be shown are not yet available. “Bend It Like Beckham” was also recently nominated for Best European Film at the 2002 European Film Awards.
