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.
You can now view the trailer for Prozac Nation. Considering that Jonathan’s character is apparently not in the film that much, he is featured quite a bit in this excellent trailer. Thanks to The Williams Center for this link.
In other random bits of news, Jonathan has been attending various events in London in recent weeks… along with the premieres of “The Importance of Being Ernest” and “Lilo and Stitch”, he went to the launch of a Versace exhibit. There is also no official word yet on the status of “The Last Unicorn”.
Lots of exciting news to report on new Jonathan film projects. First from Variety comes word that Jonathan is set to star in director Mike Hodges new film:
Hodges, Owen “Sleep” together
Friday May 3
By Dana Harris
Director Mike Hodges will reteam with his “Croupier” star Clive Owen on the noir thriller “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead,” with Paramount Classics acquiring domestic distribution and certain international territories. Written by Trevor Preston, “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” tells of a former gang boss who is drawn back into the game to avenge his brother’s sordid and tragic death. Charlotte Rampling, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Malcolm McDowell also star.
The picture begins production in September and is slated for a late 2003 release. In addition to North America, Paramount Classics acquired the picture for Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Latin America and the Middle East.
Hodges also directed the original “Get Carter,” starring Michael Caine. Owen is starring opposite Angelina Jolie in “Beyond Borders” and was most recently seen in Robert Altman’s award-winning ensembler “Gosford Park.”
Also from Variety is the news that Jonathan has signed to star in an upcoming UK produced thriller:
Thesp Quintet High on ‘Octane’
Thursday May 9
By Cathy Dunkley
Madeleine Stowe (“We Were Soldiers”) and Mischa Barton (“Lost and Delirious”) are among the stars to sign on for “Octane,” a low-budget supernatural thriller that begins shooting June 3 on location in Luxembourg.
Stowe plays a woman who suspects that the people who have lured away her teenage daughter (Barton) are not what they seem. Norman Reedus (“Blade II”), Bijou Phillips (“Bully”) and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (“Bend It Like Beckham”) also star in the film, which Marcus Adams (“Long Time Dead”) will direct.
The $11.5 million film marks the debut production of Four Horsemen Films, a youth-oriented genre label of U.K. producer Random Harvest.
Lastly, from the Cannes Film Festival comes word that Jonathan is in talks to star in a long awaited live action movie version of Peter Beagle’s novel The Last Unicorn. “Gormenghast” co-star Christoper Lee and Angela Lansbury are set to star in the Continent Film production, which plans to feature a computer generated unicorn. Mia Farrow (the voice of the Unicorn in the original animated version of the film) and Heath Ledger are also in talks to star in this $45 million production.
Thanks to Sandy for passing these news tidbits to the site.