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Ben Whishaw isn’t averse to juggling multiple and very different projects, but even he admits there was a point last year when things reached near farcical levels.

Around the same time he was shooting Netflix’s pulpy spy thriller series “Black Doves,” playing a contract killer with a conscience alongside Keira Knightley, he was recording the voice of Paddington Bear for the marmalade lover’s latest family adventure, “Paddington in Peru,” while also rehearsing for his lead role in a new West End adaptation of Samuel Beckett’s bleak tragicomedy “Waiting for Godot.”

“And all in one week! It was one of the strangest gear switches ever,” he says, speaking to Variety from his apartment in East London during a rare and brief period of rest for one of the U.K.’s most in-demand talents. “But it is nice to inhabit so many different worlds.”

Whishaw’s latest...

The year is 2014. Mac Miller has defied hip-hop norms as a successful, independent act whose sound has impressively evolved from easygoing frat-rap to psychedelic hip-hop. He is living in Los Angeles, burrowed in the hills of excess and fame. He’s high nearly every day, hooked on a slew of substances to help manage his improbable rise. As a result, he’s constantly creating new, darker music. He’s still alive, but he’s not sure how. This is where Miller’s second posthumous release, Balloonerism, finds him.

In September...

Balloonerism, the previously unreleased album recorded by Mac Miller in 2014, will feature two special guests: Sza and the late rapper’s alter ego, Delusional Thomas. Ahead of the record’s Jan. 17 arrival, the Miller estate shared the complete track list for the album, which periodically surfaced in leaks online but has never been officially released.

The 14-track record will be previewed with “5 Dollar Pony Rides,” the single scheduled for release on Jan. 9 at 12 p.m. Est. A snippet for the song was featured in a trailer for the album played at Tyler,...

Chuck Woolery, who served as host for Love Connection, Wheel of Fortune, and other popular television game shows and later went on to co-host a right-wing podcast, died on Saturday at his home in Texas. He was 83.

Mark Young, the co-host of their podcast Blunt Force Truth, confirmed the news to The Associated Press via email. “Chuck was a dear friend and brother and a tremendous man of faith, life will not be the same without him,” Young wrote via The AP.

Woolery served as the first host of Wheel of Fortune...

Last month, we brought you the news that Bob Odenkirk is set to reprise his role as government-assassin-turned-family-man-turned-assassin-again Hutch Mansell in Nobody 2, with Indonesian action-horror filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto aboard to direct. And now we know who our man Hutch will be putting his, er, Basic Instinct to the test against in the follow-up to Ilya Naishuller's 2021 geriaction romp. Per THR's reporting, Oscar-nominated Hollywood icon Sharon Stone is set to star opposite Odenkirk as the shadowy new big-bad in the sequel.

Plot details on Nobody 2 remain firmly under wraps for the time being, but we do know Derek Kolstad (John Wick), Aaron Rabin (Secret Invasion), Umair Aleem, and Odenkirk himself are all on writing duties for this one, with 87North super-duo Kelly McCormick and David Leitch (The Fall Guy) among the movie's producers. As for Stone, Tjahjanto's film is set to be the Casino and The Quick And...

In the weeks before the release of The Stones and Brian Jones, Nick Broomfield’s documentary about the first casualty of the Rolling Stones’ rise to prominence, the band released its 24th (in the UK; 26th in the US) studio album. And as part of the release of Hackney Diamonds, the band’s first studio release in seven years, the Stones’ PR machine went into overdrive. Mick Jagger and Keith Richard made the rounds and, among other topics, often touched on the death of longtime drummer Charlie Watts and its impact on the band. These interviews have tended to be fascinating affairs; such is the state of things when members of rock royalty hit the promotion trail.

One name that was barely mentioned is Brian Jones. That is not altogether surprising; even though Jones was the band’s founder and its first leader, he died more than 50 years ago. But...

Samuel Jackson and John Travolta are hit men with a penchant for philosophical conversations in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” coming to Plex on April 1. The multilayered crime movie, also starring Uma Thurman as a gangster’s wild wife and Bruce Willis as a down-on-his-luck boxer, is a darkly humorous, ultra-violent, and redemptive classic. The film netted Tarantino an Oscar for best original screenplay.

Watch the trailer for “Pulp Fiction”:

Clive Owen’s career was launched in the British neo-noir “Croupier,” directed by Mike Hodges. Owen plays Jack, a brooding writer who begins working as a croupier in a casino and gets drawn into a dangerous plan to rob it. Co-starring Gina McKee, it also arrives the first of next month.

Watch Now $0+ / month plex.tv Coming in April: 3 Generations Alex Rider: Stormbreaker American Honey (starts 4/27) The Cookout Croupier Crypto Diggers Domino: Battle of The Bones Don Jon...

A freak thunderstorm that hit Austin around 9 p.m. on Thursday threw off what was shaping up to be SXSW’s biggest day: All outdoor events after that hour were canceled outright (including some highly anticipated sets, like Lil Yachty at the Moody Amphitheater), while other showcase schedules got all jumbled up. But it had already been a full day of exciting new sounds before the storm hit — and when the clouds lifted at 11 p.m., there was more to come. Here are the best things we saw on day...

Lorde has dropped “Stoned at the Nail Salon,” the second single from Solar Power following the release of its title track last month.

In opposition to the bright and cheery “Solar Power,” “Stoned at the Nail Salon” is a somber reflection on growing older. “My hot blood’s been burning for so many summers now/It’s time to cool it down,” she sings over a delicate guitar plucking. Later, she chalks up her deep life musings to just being “stoned at the nail salon.” Like “Solar Power,” “Stoned” is...

There are few Christmas movies as beloved as the 1990 comedy Home Alone starring Macaulay Culkin. Naturally, Hollywood has tried to profit off the movie in various ways ever since. Ryan Reynolds is attached as producer to a movie titled Stoned Alone, which is described as a spiritual successor to Home Alone. Filmmaker Chris Columbus, who directed the original 1990 movie, explained why he finds the concept of Stoned Alone insulting.

"The reboots are just silly to me. When I read about something called Stoned Alone, they were going to do with Ryan - it was an R-rated Home Alone movie about stoners - I thought to myself, 'This is just an insult to the art of cinema. If you're making a comedy, a musical, no matter what film I'm making, my goal is to treat it with the same respect as if I was making The Godfather. Home Alone is not The Godfather,...

Tony Sokol Jul 3, 2019

Half a century later, as much mystery surrounds what Brian Jones brought to the Rolling Stones as the circumstances of his death.

It has been 50 years since the Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones drowned in the swimming pool at his country home and his death is still as much a mystery as it was on July 3, 1969. He was 27, the same age as his hero, blues musician Robert Johnson. They were the first recognized members of the "27 Club," artists who died at that age like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Linda Jones, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse. Johnson and Jones share another honor in the dark mythology of rock and roll. Their circumstances of their deaths are shrouded with unanswered questions. Johnson may have been poisoned. Jones may have been intentionally drowned. Both left legacies which influence artists to this very day. The same can be said of the lingering questions.

Universal Music Classics/Decca Gold announced today, the release of the score to the highly anticipated biopic from IFC Films, Mary Shelley, which features original music by composer Amelia Warner (Mum’s List). Mary Shelley will be released digitally on May 25th – the same date the film premieres in theaters in the Us.

In describing the composition process, Amelia emphasized the ghostly themes of the film by utilizing vocalists and orchestral rhythms to assist in telling this illuminating tale.

“We used a lot of synths layered with the orchestra. The real strings layered with electric synths created a strangeness and modernity that I think works well with Mary’s character. We found some amazing musicians and two incredible singers who are a huge part of the score. We used a soprano and a counter tenor and had them sing in a very expressive way. For example, when things start to...

As the days get darker and the cold winds of Autumn approach, it’s time to look ahead at the upcoming movies set to hit cinemas this Fall.

The huge slate includes the return of the Jedis, the rebirth of Frankenstein and a new age of Good Dinosaurs. These movies will take audiences to a Galaxy Far, Far Away, on a voyage to Mars and to the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Everest.

Here’s our list of the 2015 Fall movies that we can’t wait to see!

September

The Visit (Sept 11)

Writer/director/producer M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs, Unbreakable) and producer Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity, The Purge and Insidious series) welcome you to Universal Pictures’ The Visit. Shyamalan returns to his roots with the terrifying story of a brother and sister who are sent to their grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong trip.

Bob Dylan is a legendary singer-songwriter and folk/rock icon. But his easily parodied voice doesn't exactly scream "lullaby crooning." Jimmy Fallon and Ethan Hawke proved that fact during Tuesday's Tonight Show, performing a handful of classic children's songs in Dylan's signature Sixties style.

"We both have young kids," Fallon says to open the clip. "They're great, so much fun. But, you know, bedtime can be pretty tough." Hawke suggests an alternative – singing the songs as Dylan – and he cites "scientific research" to prove the method works.

"We're like the Smothers Brothers,...

Danny Lopes (above), who is 31, Geri Halliwell is 41, and Vera Farmiga is 40.

I have no idea what to make of this.

Batman And Robin Go Gay in new Erotic Lives Of The Superheroes book, which “portrays the Dark Knight not only as an aging gay man, but also a narcissist who occupies a seat next to Elton John during New York charity dinners and cruises other gay men for one-night stands.”

Lucy Lawless On How She’d Bring Back Xena.

But who cleaned up all the brontosaurus crap?

Pre show shower time! pic.twitter.com/546H4OZAPx

— Donnie Wahlberg (@DonnieWahlberg) July 31, 2013

17 Gay Superhero Power Couples.

Below you can see a very sweet marriage proposal that took place at GaymerX (h/t VeryCutePanda)

Hudson Taylor talks to CNN about ensuring athlete safety at Sochi.

Hans The Incredible Unicorn just wanted a drink of water. Then Nsfw things happened …

Here’s the...

Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of Skyfall., the 23rd James Bond adventure, confirmed that the character of Q will be making a welcome return to the Bond franchise and the role will be played by Ben Whishaw.

Whishaw becomes the fourth actor to play Bond.s quartermaster affectionately known as Q. The role began with Peter Burton as Major Boothroyd in Dr. No, followed by Desmond Llewelyn (in 17 Bond films between 1963-1999), and John Cleese (who appeared as Q.s assistant, R, in The World is Not Enough and was later promoted to Q in Die Another Day).

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli commented, .It.s a real thrill to confirm the return of Q in Skyfall. played by the enormously talented Ben Whishaw. We are delighted to have this beloved character back in the series..

Daniel Craig is back as Ian Fleming.s James Bond...

James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli confirmed today that the character of Q will be making a welcome return to the 007 franchise in new film Skyfall - with the role played by Ben Whishaw.

The first official image of Whishaw on set, with Daniel Craig in the background, has been sent to us and is featured below. The image above shows Ben at a BAFTA awards ceremony in London.

Whishaw becomes the fourth actor to play Bond's quartermaster affectionately known as Q. The role began with Peter Burton as Major Boothroyd in Dr No, followed by Desmond Llewelyn in 17 Bond films between 1963 and 1999. After that, John Cleese appeared as Q's assistant R in The World is Not Enough before his promotion to Q in Die Another Day.

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli commented: "It's a real thrill to confirm the return of Q in Skyfall,...

Cinema Retro has received the following press announcement from Sony and Eon Productions.

Culver City, Calif., July 12, 2012 – Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, producers of Skyfall™, the 23rd James Bond adventure, confirmedtoday that the character of Q will be making a welcome return to the Bond franchise and the role will be played by Ben Whishaw.

Whishaw becomes the fourth actor to play Bond’s quartermaster affectionately known as Q. The role began with Peter Burton as Major Boothroyd in Dr. No, followed by Desmond Llewelyn (in 17 Bond films between 1963-1999), and John Cleese (who appeared as Q’s assistant, R, in The World is Not Enough and was later promoted to Q in Die Another Day).

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli commented, “It’s a real thrill to confirm the return of Q in Skyfall™ played by the enormously talented, Ben Whishaw. We are delighted to have...

Sony have officially released the news that we all knew anyway that Ben Whishaw is set to play the role of Q in the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall. As well as releasing the news, they’ve also given us our first look at Whishaw in the obligatory white coat! If you look carefull, you can also see James Bond (Daniel Craig) loitering in the background.

Whishaw becomes the fourth actor to play Bond’s quartermaster affectionately known as Q. The role began with Peter Burton as Major Boothroyd in Dr. No, followed by Desmond Llewelyn (in 17 Bond films between 1963-1999), and John Cleese (who appeared as Q’s assistant, R, in The World is Not Enough and was later promoted to Q in Die Another Day).

Skyfall hits cinemas 26tyh October. Full press release is below. Click the image to enlarge.

Culver City, Calif., July 12, 2012 – Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli,...

Another week, another Monday. So it’s time for the rundown of DVDs and Blu-ray’s hitting stores online and offline this week. It’s another packed week, with plenty of movies waiting to take you money, so let us breakdown the new releases and highlight what you should – and shouldn’t – be buying from today, May 14th 2012.

Pick(S) Of The Week

The Sitter (DVD/Blu-ray)

When the world’s most irresponsible babysitter takes three of the world’s worst kids on an unforgettable overnight adventure through the streets of New York City, it’s anyone’s guess who’s going to make it home in one piece. Starring Jonah Hill (Knocked Up, Get Him To The Greek) and Sam Rockwell (Moon & The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), The Sitter is a new level of twisted and debauched hilarity from the director of Pineapple Express, David Gordon Green.

Director: Christian E. Christiansen. Review: Adam Wing. On paper it sounds intriguing enough; ID:a is a Scandinavian thriller in the tradition of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Killing. What this actually means is, due to the success of the Danish crime series on British TV, any new film that falls into the category ‘conspiracy thriller’ is going to be snapped up by UK film distributors. Christian E. Christiansen takes to the director’s chair, attempting to make up for his dull as dishwater thriller The Roommate with a lukewarm take on the Bourne phenomenon. Tuva Novotny (Eat Pray Love, Stoned) stars as Ida (see what they did there?), a woman we first meet waking from near death on a riverbank. She has a gaping head wound, a bag full of money and no memory of what has happened to her. Sound like a female Bourne to you?...

Anglophiles continued to follow the career of British actor and filmmaker David Morrissey thanks to his roles in various series like State of Play, Blackpool and a guest role on Doctor Who. Morrissey also built up something of an art-house following with roles in specialty dramas Nowhere Boy, the Red Riding Trilogy, Stoned and Hilary and Jackie. Morrissey received his biggest stateside role to date landing the colorful character the Governor on the hit AMC drama The Walking Dead. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Morrissey signed on to play the villainous Governor, leader of a small community of survivors known as Woodbury, who becomes an adversary to the Sheriff-turned-group leader, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln).

Anglophiles continued to follow the career of British actor and filmmaker David Morrissey thanks to his roles in various series like State of Play, Blackpool and a guest role on Doctor Who. Morrissey also built up something of an art-house following with roles in specialty dramas Nowhere Boy, the Red Riding Trilogy, Stoned and Hilary and Jackie. Morrissey received his biggest stateside role to date landing the colorful character the Governor on the hit AMC drama The Walking Dead. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Morrissey signed on to play the villainous Governor, leader of a small community of survivors known as Woodbury, who becomes an adversary to the Sheriff-turned-group leader, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln).

Anglophiles continued to follow the career of British actor and filmmaker David Morrissey thanks to his roles in various series like State of Play, Blackpool and a guest role on Doctor Who. Morrissey also built up something of an art-house following with roles in specialty dramas Nowhere Boy, the Red Riding Trilogy, Stoned and Hilary and Jackie. Morrissey received his biggest stateside role to date landing the colorful character the Governor on the hit AMC drama The Walking Dead. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Morrissey signed on to play the villainous Governor, leader of a small community of survivors known as Woodbury, who becomes an adversary to the Sheriff-turned-group leader, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln).

Billed as an "East London Western", the already-acclaimed British crime drama Wild Bill will be released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on March 30, 2012.

A hit at the London Film Festival, where it screened to rave reviews, Wild Bill is Dexter Fletcher's directorial debut from the producers Tim Cole (Everywhere and Nowhere) and Sam Tromans (Dead Man Running).

In addition, it was nominated for Best Achievement in Production at the 2011 British Independent Film Awards,

The official poster has been released today and is included above (click on it for a larger version). The trailer and an official still are below.

Starring are Charlie Creed-Miles (Hereafter, Harry Brown), Will Poulter (Son of Rambow), Liz White (The Woman in Black, Life on Mars) Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Tintin), Jaime Winstone (Made in Dagenham, Anuvahood), Jason Flemyng (X-Men: First Class, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), Olivia Williams (An Education,...

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Cast a Giant Shadow: can young Ben Whishaw overcome Desmond Llewelyn's indelible portrayal of Q?

I don't care if Ben Whishaw is considered one of the best young English actors of his generation; he is all wrong for the part of Q precisely because he is too young and handsome. I'm not expecting a clone of Desmond Llewelyn or John Cleese or Alec McCowen to reprise the role of Bond's sarcastic old gadget provider in Skyfall, but Whishaw's delicate features and tousled hair are more suited to decadent poets and rock and roll stars (you may remember his young Keith Richards in Stoned/2005). Whishaw would also make an excellent Dr. Who. (I think 70-year-old Jon Finch – once considered to play James Bond – would have been an interesting choice for Q.) I have a bad feeling about Whishaw's taking on the role.

As the new James Bond 007 film, "Skyfall," starts to come into focus, we're getting some idea about what to expect just based on the casting in the film.  And by far, one of the most exciting details to emerge for old-school Bond fans is the idea that we're finally going to see the return of Q branch in this new film in the form of Ben Whishaw. I really dug Whishaw in "Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer," and he's been interesting in things like the TV series "Nathan Barley" and the film "Stoned," where he played Keith Richards.  I'm...

As you can probably imagine, U.S. Thanksgiving is a pretty slow time for movie and entertainment news. It would appear that the biggest story of the day is the casting of Q for the upcoming James Bond movie Skyfall... yawn. But wait, there's a twist! According to the BBC, the role has gone to 31-year-old Ben Whishaw, which means that for the first time ever, Bond's gadgets will be designed by someone much younger than him. It might be cause for outrage among Bond purists, except for one thing... having a young gadget guru actually kind of makes sense. Whisaw is not yet well-known to those outside of the U.K., but he did play the lead character in Tom Tykwer's Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. He also had smaller roles in I'm Not There and The Tempest, and he played Keith Richards in the Brian Jones biopic Stoned.

When Paddy Considine brought Tyrannosaur to New York for New Directors/New Films in March (reviews), Graham Fuller met up with him to interview him for Film Comment, noting that, as an actor, "Considine, 37, has blessed a range of downbeat British films with his lugubrious, sometimes volatile presence, among them his friend Shane Meadows's A Room for Romeo Brass (99) and Dead Man's Shoes (04), Pavel Pawlikowski's Last Resort (00) and My Summer of Love (04), Michael Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People (02), Stoned (05), and Red Riding: 1980 (09). He has also made the odd foray into Hollywood for Cinderella Man (05) and The Bourne Ultimatum (07). As a writer-director, Considine cranks up the volatility with his outstanding feature debut, Tyrannosaur, which he took a dry run at with his 2007 short, Dog Altogether."

The film "opens with Joseph (Peter Mullan) taking out his rage and self-loathing on the last thing he loves, his dog, kicking the animal to death,...

British actor Ben Whishaw is reported to have joined the cast of the next Bond film.

The 30-year-old has landed an undisclosed role in the as-yet-untitled Bond 23, according to Coming Soon.

Whishaw, who was in 2008's Brideshead Revisited and is currently in BBC2 drama The Hour (see picture above), appeared with Bond star Daniel Craig in the films Layer Cake and Enduring Love, both released in 2004.

Among his other credits, he played Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards in 2005's Stoned, which tells the story of the band's co-founder Brian Jones who was found dead in a swimming pool at the age of 27. He starred as the poet John Keats in the 2009 movie Bright Star.

The report on his latest role adds that the new Bond girls will be a "beautiful British agent" and a "beautiful Asian woman named Severin". No casting news on either of those roles has yet been revealed.

As many of you we here at HeyUGuys love to do our bit for British Independent films as much as we can. We’ve made good friends with multiple productions teams because of it and the latest group of guys we’ve met through the lovely medium of film are those currently creating Grace and Danger, which is both written and directed by Rhys Hayward.

This is Rhys’ first feature but nonetheless, has a great cast attached to the project which includes Tom Felton (Harry Potter), Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan), Leo Gregory (Stoned), Tom Hopper (Tormented), David Leon (RocknRolla), Joel Beckett (Eve) and Anna Langner (Dog Fight).

Grace and Danger has the following overview:

WWII France. 7 Allied soldiers rescue a young woman from a village massacre, and promise to escort her to safety. When Nazi S.S. officers pick up their trail, the journey becomes a savage battle for...

We all have film sequences that stick in our minds. Some are shared by many – such as the shower scene from Psycho – others are particular to us. Here our film critic and a panel of leading movie-makers reveal their favourites. What are yours?

Who will ever forget the first time they saw the 45-second shower-room murder in Hitchcock's Psycho? I remember 1959 and 1961 as the years when my first two children were born. But the first thing that comes to mind about the year in between was seeing Psycho, which I'd been looking forward to since a radio programme I'd produced the previous October, when Hitchcock had enticingly described Psycho as "my first real horror film". Entering the Plaza, Lower Regent Street, the day the film opened, I passed the cardboard cut-out of Hitchcock in the foyer, from which a tape recording of the Master's familiar Leytonstone undertaker's voice warned us...

A new wave of biopics and rockumentaries – including films about Blur, the White Stripes and Muse – leads the attack on "the blandest of the bland"

A backlash has begun against the ­stranglehold that television talent shows have on the British music industry. Films about rock history are the first line of attack, according to the leading directors and musicians who are driving a growing public interest in the bands that have shaped popular music.

Ten films chronicling the lives of pop stars and rock musicians have been released or gone into production in recent months. John Lennon, Ian Dury and the record producer Joe Meek have already been the subjects of biopics, and screenwriters are now delving into ­Britain's rich rock past to tell the stories of other musicians.

This week sees the release of Oil City Confidential, an account of Canvey Island pub-rockers Dr Feelgood. The film's director, Julien Temple,...

Info Meme

I feel a little guilty. Yesterday I forgot to recognize that it was National Penguin Awareness Day. I need to get around to reading The Huffington Post earlier in the day. No slight was intended, my well-dressed bird friends.

I was unaware of the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, which seems somewhat odd, considering what we do here. In any case, they have awards, called the Dorian Awards, and they tossed them at anything with a homo in it. Glee and Precious were big winners.

Richard Branson, billionaire playboy and entrepreneur, has decided to make his start of Virgin Galactic into a reality show. It won’t be his first time at the reality TV rodeo, as his flight attendant show Fly Girls, is in production for TheCW.

NPR has an exhaustive discussion of how The Big Bang Theory, your Favorite Comedy in the Gay People’s Choice Awards,...

The great iconoclastic film-maker Werner Herzog is used to shooting films – but being shot at? In this extract from his cinematic memoir Mark Kermode tells the remarkable story of how, in the middle of interviewing the German director on a hilltop in Los Angeles, he gets shot. And refuses to go to hospital. And there's the day he meets Angelina... and other stories from a life obsessed with films…

We were somewhere near Lookout Mountain, on the outskirts of La, when Werner Herzog's trousers exploded. It was a small explosion, admittedly, as if a firecracker had gone off in his pocket. But it was an explosion none the less and in an area where unexpected bangs are to be treated with suspicion, if not outright alarm. Herzog had been shot – that much was clear – and was even now bleeding quietly into his boxer shorts as a tiny plume of...

A favorite buzzword of actors is "simplicity." But to see its paragon, observe Ben Whishaw in his current project, Jane Campion's "Bright Star." In it he plays 19th-century poet John Keats. Or rather, he is Keats. Whishaw has not a moment onscreen that looks actorly. And aside from the utter seriousness that seems to mark his roles to date, each is crisply distinct—whether he is playing the bizarrely talented title role of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer," rocker Keith Richards in "Stoned," the tortured Sebastian in "Brideshead Revisited," or one of the Bob Dylans in "I'm Not There." Whishaw seems a likely, and much-needed, heir to Daniel Day-Lewis.How does he do it? "I read a lot," says Whishaw. He also started early, in a youth theater near London, U.K. "We were a very ambitious little troupe and did some amazing plays," says Whishaw.

Had enough of vampires yet? Not if the weekend's Scream Awards are any indication. So it's a safe assumption that you're open to more adaptations of vampire stories to watch in between installments of the "Twilight" franchise and episodes of "True Blood." Try Moira Buffini's British play "A Vampire Story," which is now headed to the big screen.

Husband-and-wife producers Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen ("How to Lose Friends and Alienate People") announced the adaptation, which has been retitled "Byzantium," among a whole slew of projects their company, Number 9 Films, is currently developing. Woolley has some previous experience with vampire films. As a longtime collaborator with filmmaker Neil Jordan, Woolley produced "Interview with a Vampire."

/Film's English correspondent, Brendon Connelly, shares the plot of "A Vampire Story" over at that site, and he's certainly correct to say it sounds like a British version of "Let the Right One In,...

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has joined the cast of writer/director Alex de Rakoff's indie gangster flick Dead Man Running. The rapper will play a ruthless loan shark in the movie, which details a criminal world as hard hit by the recession as Wall Street. Jackson , whose film credits include Get Rich or Die Tryin' and Righteous Kill, will share the screen with Tamer Hassan (Layer Cake), Danny Dyer (The Business), Brenda Blethyn (Secrets and Lies) and Monet Mazur (Stoned). Set in London, Running centers on an ex-con trying to go straight who is given 24 hours to raise 100,000 pounds ($150,000) to pay off Jackson's loan shark or become a "dead man running." The mission takes him from the dog tracks of East London to the underground drug scene of rural Manchester as they try every trick and scam in the book to get the cash before it's too late. Rakoff previously wrote and directed The Calcium Kid,...

London -- Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has joined a stellar indie cast for Alex de Rakoff's London gangland movie "Dead Man Running," which began shooting Wednesday.

Jackson joins a cast that includes Tamer Hassan ("Layer Cake"), Danny Dyer ("The Business"), Brenda Blethyn ("Secrets and Lies") and Monet Mazur ("Stoned").

The rapper will play a ruthless loan shark in the movie, which details a criminal world as hard hit by the recession as Wall Street.

Set in London, de Rakoff's script centers on an ex-con trying to go straight who is given 24 hours to raise 100,000 pounds ($150,000) to pay off Jackson's loan shark or become a "dead man running." The mission takes him from the dog tracks of East London to the underground drug scene of rural Manchester as they try every trick and scam in the book to get the cash before it's too late.

The movie has attracted the backing of U.

After publishing eight clips this morning, we now have 3 TV spots in a single player for all you Bond fans out there. "Quantum of Solace" stars Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Gemma Arterton, Jeffrey Wright and Jesper Christensen. On November 14th, buckle up, 007 is ready to clock in more big numbers for MGM and Columbia Pictures. Written by two-time Academy Award® winner Paul Haggis ("Million Dollar Baby, "Crash," "In the Valley of Elah" and others) alongside his "Casino Royale" collaborators in "Stoned" writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

PARIS -- The 16th Dinard Festival of British Film, which unspools in the Brittany resort Oct. 6-9, will open with Sally Potter's Yes, organizers said Thursday. The film stars Joan Allen and Simon Abkarian in the tale of a tempestuous love affair between an American woman and a Middle Eastern man that takes them from London to Beirut and Havana. The six-strong Dinard competition lineup includes Colour me Kubrick directed by Brian Cook, which stars John Malkovich in the true story of man who impersonated director Stanley Kubrick, and Stoned, Stephen Woolley's telling of the tragic end of former Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones.