Jonathan was expected to attend yesterday’s Harry Potter premiere in New York City but there’s been no reports if he did indeed turn up. “Vanity Fair” is being mentioned that it may premiere at the Venice Film Festival that runs in early Fall. Like the DVD “Pulse” (”Octane”), the DVD of “The Lion in Winter” will be out July 20. You can preorder a copy through Amazon. “The Lion in Winter” is now airing on Showtime and has been garnering excellent reviews.
More Japanese magazine features on Jonathan:
- FRaU, May 25, 2004
- DVD&VTR Pia, May 21 - June 20, 2004
- BS fan, May 28 - June 30, 2004
- FIGARO japon, June 5, 2004 #273
- BARFOUT!, June 2004 #106
- CUT, June 2004 #165
- SWITCH, June 2004, Vol.22 #6
- Hot-Dog PRESS, June 2004
- SkyPerfecTV!, June 2004
- SPUR, July 2004
- Sweet, June 2004
- CanCam, July 2004
- FLIX, July 2004 #129
- GQ Japan, July 2004 #14
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 movie news to report. First up, “Prozac Nation” is now out on DVD in Japan. “The Tesseract” will finally be released in Japanese theatres this spring. There is an official website up with a few new images. According to First Look Home Entertainment, both “The Tesseract” and “Octane” will be out on DVD and video April 2004. No word when exactly or in what formats.
“Alexander” has finished production in Thailand. Jonathan recently attended the 2004 Bangkok International Film Festival in support of “Alexander” with fellow cast members. “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” has been making the rounds of many U.S. film festivals including the Santa Barbara Film Festival and the Portland International Film Festival. It’s set for a limited U.S. release June 11. And lastly, “The Lion in Winter” will air this May on the Showtime cable network in the U.S.
“Octane” is now out on DVD and video in Australia. Jonathan is featured in a special calendar insert of the January 2004 issue of Japanese Premiere magazine and there is an “Octane” feature in the December issue of UK Elle.
“Bend It Like Beckham” is now out on DVD in the US today. The DVD features commentary by director Gurinder Chadha and co-writer Paul Mayeda Berges, theatrical trailers, 10 deleted/extended scenes, “Who Wants to Cook Aloo Gobi?” featurette, “The Making of Bend It Like Beckham” featurette, Music video for “Hot Hot Hot”, Aloo Gobi recipe, and the film is presented in widescreen anamorphic format. You can order it through Amazon today.
In other news, Oliver Stone’s “Alexander” began principal photography on September 22 in Marrakesh, Morocco. The project will then shoot interiors in London and more location shooting in Thailand. Warner Bros. Pictures has scheduled to release the film in the US in November 2004.
More release date news… “Prozac Nation” is now out in theatres in Japan. “Octane” is set for release in the UK on November 14. “The Tesseract” recently played at the Toronto Film Festival (along with “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”), where Momentum Pictures picked up the UK distribution rights. No word on any release date but the film is getting very good buzz.
Lastly, there’s rumors of a possible new film project for Jonathan:
Rhys-Meyers in talks on horror pic
Source: rte.ie, 22/08/2003
Irish actor and ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ star Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is in talks about a role in a new horror movie. Variety reports that vampire film ‘Perfect Creature’ will be shot in New Zealand. Should Rhys-Meyers sign up for the movie, he will play the villain. Dougray Scott will play the lead with actress Saffron Burrows also in talks about a role.
Nothing is confirmed on this one.
“Octane” will be the opening film of the 2003 Fright Fest to be held in London on August 22. Cast and crew are to be in attendance for the opening but no word on if Jonathan will have the time to make it for this or not. “Bend It Like Beckham” continues to perform well at the US box office. It has now reached $30.6 million with an additional $39 million gross overseas.
Jonathan will be traveling to Japan in August for the premiere of “The Tesseract”. He is currently filming a new movie, “Vanity Fair”. This high profile project co-stars Reese Witherspoon, Jim Broadbent, and Rhys Ifans. It’s being directed by Mira Nair. “Vanity Fair” is an adaption of the William Thackeray novel by the same name. If you live close to Bath, you can audition to be an extra. The movie is being shot in Bath for one week of filming in June. For more details, read the article on This Is Bath. The plot summary from that article on this movie is: “The story is set during the Napoleonic Wars and revolves around the rise and fall of Becky Sharp, an impoverished but beautiful young woman played by Witherspoon, and Amelia Sedley, the pampered daughter of a rich City merchant.”
The Overseas Film Group will be holding screenings of “Octane” at this year’s Cannes Film Festival starting May 16. They will also be holding special promo premieres of “The Tesseract” and “The Emperor’s Wife”.
Made a mistake in the last update. “The Tesseract” is being released in Japan this fall, not “Octane”. “Octane” did recently premiere at the American Film Market Festival on Feb 22, 2003. This festival is a place for a lot of films to find distribution deals. There’s a lot of rumors running around that Jonathan screen tested for the James Bond role. There is no confirmation regarding this and I’d take any news reports about this with a grain of salt. Every week, you hear of some actor who is up for the role. It’s as bad as the endless search for the new Superman. Thanks to everyone who sent in an email regarding this.
Jonathan is featured in the April 2003 issue of L’Uomo Vogue with Daniel Day Lewis on the cover. Also, apparently “Octane” will be released in Japan this coming fall.
“Bend It Like Beckham” has been doing very well at the US box office so far. Each week, it’s being released in more theatres and steadily increasing it’s box office take. So far, in 5 weeks of release, it’s earned $4.2 million dollars. It’s now playing on just 216 screens with a very high per screen average, lots of press hype, and plenty of positive reviews. You can track its box office climb at Box Office Mojo.
Thanks to Alec for passing along this little tidbit about “Octane”, from the Sunday Mirror (warning, this does contain a minor spoiler):
Role to Get Teeth Into
August 11, 2002
by Polly Graham
IRISH actors Patrick O’Kane and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers have definitely got a blood lust - in their new film roles that is.
Patrick, who has starred in EastEnders, joined forces with Bend It Like Beckham lead Jonathan to film a new psychological thriller called Octane in Luxembourg.
The film also stars Hollywood actress Madeleine Stowe, best remembered for her role in Last Of The Mohicans.
Patrick told 24/7: “Octane is a road movie with a twist - it’s a psychological thriller with Jonathan and me as members of a bloodthirsty and semi-vampiric cult.
“We’d a great laugh shooting it and going to Luxembourg made a nice change from Belfast and Dublin.”
