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.
“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.
Jonathan was featured in a fabulous photo spread in the June issue of US GQ magazine. Photos from this spread are now featured in the August issue of UK GQ magazine. Jonathan is rumored to have been cast as Cassander in Oliver Stone’s upcoming project “Alexander”. More details on that soon.
The official website for I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead is now up, though no content yet. It’s scheduled for release in 2004 in the US.
There is still no word on any official release of “Prozac Nation” from Miramax. You can watch a nice high quality version of the trailer over on Apple.com.
Jonathan has confirmed that the James Bond rumors are just that… silly rumors in a recent article on Dublin Daily saying, “I don’t know where that rumour came from… There is absolutely no truth to it. I have never even been asked to go for a screen test for the part. I have to admit it’s a nice thought though.” The full article has been archived in the Press section.
Jonathan is currently in rehearsals for “Vanity Fair” with production to start in June.
“Bend It Like Beckham” continues to do well in the US making over $13.5 million dollars so far. The last two weekends it has even made it into the top 10 grossing films in release.
Some news out of Cannes from Indie Wire:
“First Look Media also announced two deals. The company acquired worldwide rights excluding Japan and Thailand to Oxide Pang’s ‘The Tesseract.’ The film, adapted from the book by frequent Danny Boyle collaborator Alex Garland, stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Saskia Reeves.”
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.
“Tangled” is finally being released in the US going straight to DVD and video. You can pre-order the DVD through Amazon.com now. It’s due for release January 14, 2003.
Fox Searchlight has put up a preview website for Bend It Like Beckham. It does not state when the official release date will be other than Spring 2003.
There is word that Jonathan may star in a London play sometime next year. According to a recent Irish Examiner article, it was stated that Jonathan will be in the West End production of Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever”. I have not been able to find any official statement or news about this possible upcoming production.
Good news about “Prozac Nation”. It’s been picked up by Miramax for distribution. And from showbizireland.com comes the following (note Jonathan was questioned, not arrested and this hopefully confirms he will be in Minatour as well as a new film based on an Alex Garland novel):
Rhys Meyers talks to ShowBiz Ireland…
Cork actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers was arrested and detained last week in Italy due to security measures after the terrorist attacks in America.The actor, who has stared in such films as Michael Collins and Velvet Goldmine as well as taking the lead role in the hit TV show Gormanghast, was on his way to Morocco when he was arrested by police before boarding a flight in Milan last week.
‘I have an apartment in Morocco and was flying from Italy. But, when I was checking in at the desk for Morocco it was next to the United Airlines desk. I guess they just saw a guy on his own with a one steel case and thought they should check me out. So, they took me away and questioned me for three hours. Finally they let me go when they realized I was Irish and not one of Bin Laden’s boys. So I got on the next Royal Air Morocco flight down to my place.’
Jonathan also told ShowBizIreland.com that he has recently got engaged to his girlfriend of two years Sasha Singe, a student of anthropology from D4. ‘We are madly in love and got engaged ages ago but we kept it quiet as we just like to keep things to ourselves. We have no current wedding plans. I’m going to the UK to film Minatore and then doing a movie version of an Alex Garland novel. So, we will have immediate plans for the wedding.’ The actor currently lives between his hometown of Cork, his apartment in Dublin and his place in Morocco. Before Sasha, Jonathan dated the actress Toni Colette, star of Murials Wedding and The Sixth Sense.
Congratulations to Jonathan on his engagement!
In other news, thanks to the ever amazing alec757 for sending along news about Jonathan attending the launch of the Foyle Film Festival in Derry, Northern Ireland. The festival will be held from November 9 - 18. The Belfast Telegraph has an interview with Jonathan that I’ve put in the Press section of the site that also mentions Jonathan will be going to Bangkok in January to work on a new film based on an Alex Garland novel. Currently, Alex Garland only has two novels. One (The Beach) has been made into a film already. The other is The Tesseract. While there is a film being made currently based on an Alex Garland screenplay, that is supposedly being filmed in London right now so The Tesseract seems like the one Jonny is going to do. Visit Amazon.com for more details about the novel.
Club Monaco has finally released their new fall/winter 2001 ad campaign on their site. And guess who is their star model? Take a look at their site to see plenty of gorgeous photos. Thank to k_czaplinska for alerting me about this.
Also, thanks to Nerd from the message board, SCI FI Wire is reporting the following:
Tony Todd told SCI FI Wire that he’ll be starring in Minotaur, a fantasy film based on the Greek myth about a supernatural creature that’s half bull and half man. Todd (Candyman) will star with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Derek Jacobi; Jonathan English will direct, the actor said in an interview at the Fangoria convention in Pasadena, Calif.
“It’s … sort of Lord of the Flies, about a group of village kids who go searching for the mythological Minotaur, and they stumble upon my kingdom,” Todd said. “I play a demented king who’s into hedonism and sadism. I control the Minotaur. It parallels modern society. It starts shooting on Oct. 15, six weeks in Wales and London at the legendary Pinewood Studios. I’m really looking forward to it, because I like going out of this country and working.”
New rumor regarding Jonny’s possible next film role. This comes from Ananova, which is not the most reliable source:
Robbie Williams is reported to be considering a film role in the romantic comedy Goldfish Memory. Other actors said to be considering taking part include Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Darren Day, Dervla Kirwan and Ian Hart. Pearl Harbor star Josh Hartnett is also believed to be interested in joining the cast of the ?5 million adventure set in Ireland.
Take that with a grain of salt. There is a great new article posted recently that talks some more about Jonny’s next film along with his take on blockbuster films and what he enjoys reading. Check it out at: Showbix Ireland.
Jonny is back in Ireland. He has wrapped filming on both “Prozac Nation” and “Tangled”. Currently he is looking for his next role. It appears “Marlowe” isn’t going to be working out. You can catch some more amazing images of Jonny with Ewan McGregor in the August issue of Moviestar magazine (Japanese publication).
