Articles from September 2010



Aaargh in a day’s work–Captain Jack Sparrow in Greenwich–new photos!

Johnny Depp filmed scenes as Captain Jack Sparrow as Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides took over the streets of historic Greenwich on Tuesday. The photo at left shows Captain Jack preparing to film; to see a larger version, CLICK HERE. Looking good, Captain! To see another photo of Captain Jack walking behind a carriage, CLICK HERE, and for a glimpse of the busy behind-the-scenes atmosphere, CLICK HERE. Hats off to all the talented professionals whose work brings these splendid images to the screen!

The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the photos; you can read much more about the filming of On Stranger Tides on the Zone’s News & Views forum. Additional photos from the Greenwich filming can be found at Pop Sugar and Accidental Sexiness.

Latest rumor–Gore Verbinski to direct Johnny Depp in THE LONE RANGER?

It’s been a while since we’ve heard news about Jerry Bruckheimer’s planned update of The Lone Ranger, set to star Johnny Depp as Tonto, but now rumors are flying that Gore Verbinski, who directed the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy for Mr. Bruckheimer and Disney (and amassed $2.7 billion at the box office doing so) is “in talks” to direct the new incarnation of the classic western. “Verbinski, whose last live action film was 2007’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, is getting serious about making his next directing outing The Lone Ranger,” reports Mike Fleming on Deadline.com. “No word on when the film will begin production — Depp has no shortage of offers and has in the offing a re-team with Tim Burton on Dark Shadows — and the idea of Verbinski possibly doing this has been in the ether,” says Fleming. Verbinski is putting the finishing touches on his first animated film, Rango, which will arrive in movie theaters in March 2011. Rango, of course, features the voice of Johnny Depp as the title character.

The Zone thanks FANtasticJD for breaking this bit of very intriguing news! You can read more about The Lone Ranger on the Zone’s News & Views forum; to see the article on Deadline.com, CLICK HERE.

Johnny Depp reports to work in Greenwich–new photos!

Johnny Depp is in Greenwich today to film Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides on the historic grounds of the Old Royal Naval College. Photographers caught JD, wearing his familiar ripped jeans and plaid flannel shirt, en route to the makeup trailer and again as he left with his hair neatly plaited in cornrows (presumably to help Captain Jack Sparrow’s dreadlocks set more comfortably in place). To see a larger photo of JD on his way to the makeup trailer, CLICK HERE and HERE. For a photo of JD leaving the trailer, CLICK HERE.

Many thanks to Emma for sharing the photos; you can read a lively discussion about them on the Zone’s Pit General Discussion forum. For a thorough update of all news related to the filming of On Stranger Tides, check the Zone’s News & Views forum. To see more photos of Johnny at work in Greenwich, visit the Accidental Sexiness blog HERE.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4: ON STRANGER TIDES goes on location to Greenwich

Filming of Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides, starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, is due to shift from Pinewood Studios to a location in Greenwich, where elaborate set pieces have been under construction near the Old Royal Naval College. The photo at left, taken by the writer of the Just~Travelin’~Through blog, shows part of the set–amazing how it fits so perfectly into the baroque setting. The Old Royal Naval College was a hospital for mariners before it became a college and was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. To see a larger view of the set piece, CLICK HERE. You can find many more pictures on the photographer’s blog HERE. Thanks to Emma for sharing the link!

Zone member Felarof visited the Greenwich set-under-construction; you can get a sense of the setting from her photo HERE. That’s one of the towers of the Old Royal Naval College in the background. You can find more of Felarof’s photos and more news about the On Stranger Tides filming on the Zone’s News & Views forum. Many thanks to Felarof, Emma, and Kajenoni for sharing news, photos, and tweets from Greenwich.

The official website of the Royal Naval College reports that the Painted Hall will be closed to visitors on September 26, 27, and 28, with limited access through October 8, 2010. Perhaps cameras will be rolling on this historic site. You can learn more about the Painted Hall HERE.

“A world where somehow everything is beautiful”–Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck on THE TOURIST

In a recent interview with MTV News, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, director of The Tourist (which stars Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie), was asked how his new film differs from his Oscar-winning The Lives of Others. “[The Tourist] was very different genre-wise and just the feel of the film, but that was part of the fun for me,” the director replied. “I feel it’s more fun to try out something completely different, and after you’ve done something more heavy, to do something light and breezy, it was almost a kind of self-therapy there.”

MTV: What do you think will resonate most with audiences?

Von Donnersmarck: I think that they’ll love just seeing a world where somehow everything is beautiful, not so much in a way that seems unrealistic. All of the things we show in the film could happen like they do in the film and could look the way they do, but even if there’s a scene with 500 extras, every single extra will have been designed and sculpted by the most fantastic designers that Hollywood and Italy have to offer, so I hope people will feel transported into a world that is as beautiful as it could be, that’s what I was aiming for. Most of all, I just hope they will be transformed by — as I was on the set — by the incredible chemistry and the joy and love between our marvelous actors, between Angie and Johnny, and Paul and Timothy Dalton and Steven Berkhoff, all the incredible actors that we had.

The photo above is a newly-released still from The Tourist, which certainly gives credibility to the director’s claim of rendering a world “where somehow everything is beautiful.” To see a larger version of Frank and Elise dancing, CLICK HERE. The Zone thanks Emma for the picture and the MTV interview; you can read more about The Tourist on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Announcing a new gallery for the Zone!

We are delighted to announce a new addition to the Zone’s permanent photo galleries! We have added a gallery for Benny & Joon; Johnny’s performance as Sam is a favorite of many of our members, and we wanted to pay it a fitting tribute. This posed a challenge, since there are relatively few promotional photos from this film, but Zone members generously donated screencaps. Many thanks to Theresa, AnaMaria, Sleepy, Chocolat, Endora, and Joni for sharing pictures and expertise.

The new Benny & Joon gallery is located in the By Film section of our galleries — you can reach it by clicking on the Photo Galleries button above, or to make things even easier, you can just CLICK HERE.

Enjoy!

Forbes names Johnny Depp Hollywood’s highest-paid actor

Thanks to his role as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Johnny Depp earned the top spot on Forbes Magazine’s list of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors. “Before 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean, no one would have pegged Johnny Depp to become the highest-paid actor in Hollywood,” writes Dorothy Pomerantz of Forbes, “[b]ut it turns out mixing Depp’s oddball performance tendencies with a big-budget Disney concept is a recipe for success.” Pomerantz notes that the three Pirates movies earned $2.7 billion worldwide, and Alice in Wonderland has brought in $1 billion at the box office. JD’s “ability to almost guarantee a big box office . . . means studios are willing to pay whatever it takes to get a bit of the Depp magic,” writes Pomerantz. “Between June 2009 and June 2010, Depp was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, earning a total $75 million.” Congratulations!

The Zone thanks Gilbert’s Girl and Theresa for sharing articles about the Forbes list; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Johnny Depp and Keith Richards have dinner in London–new photos!

Johnny Depp joined Rolling Stones’ guitarist Keith Richards and his wife Patti Hansen for dinner at London’s C Restaurant on September 15th. The Mayfair restaurant, formerly known as Cipriani, is a longtime favorite of Johnny’s. The actor has reported for duty at Pinewood Studios, where he is filming Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides for director Rob Marshall, and apparently hustled directly from the studio to dinner, since Johnny is still wearing some of Captain Jack Sparrow’s makeup–for example, a red X on his face, a scratch over his eye, a familiar ruddy patch on his chin, and scrapes on his hands. No worries, though–the injuries aren’t real!

To see a larger version of the photo of Johnny and Keith, CLICK HERE. You can see other photos of the duo HERE and HERE. To see Johnny leaving the premises with security chief Jerry Judge, CLICK HERE.

The Zone thanks Emma and Theresa for sharing photos; you can read reaction to the photos on the Zone’s Pit General Discussion forum. More photos of Johnny and Keith are available at OK Magazine and Socialite Life.

“A great match”–the Los Angeles Times gives THE TOURIST trailer a thumbs-up

Calling the film’s trailer “intriguing,” Amy Kaufman of the Los Angeles Times had plenty of compliments to offer The Tourist and its stars. “The film looks beautiful — and not only because of its attractive stars. Set in Paris and Venice, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s film shows off Europe’s picturesque canals and countryside to good effect,” writes Kaufman.

Evaluating the film’s leading actors, Kaufman says, “You can tell from the moment Jolie’s spy gives Depp’s character the eye that her bravado will work well in a part in which she’s both seductress and secret agent. But we’re more drawn to Depp here — the aloof-yet-charming shtick is right up his alley. [. . .] The two are a great match [. . .].”

The Zone thanks FANtasticJD for the Los Angeles Times article and AnaMaria for the lovely screencap from The Tourist trailer. To see a larger version of the photo, CLICK HERE. You can read much more about The Tourist on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Here it is–the trailer from THE TOURIST! with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie

Five months ago, Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie were filming scenes for The Tourist along Venice’s Grand Canal. Now we have our first glimpse of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s intriguing film! According to Gregory Imler of E!Online, “The film revolves around an American (Depp) who gets pulled into a game of mistaken identity with a sexy Interpol agent (Jolie). [. . .] Johnny really plays up the hapless, charming guy who’s in over his head expertly, and Angelina continues her run of playing sexpots able to turn men into babbling pushovers.” You can watch the trailer here:

Many thanks to Theresa, Kajenoni, Moviemom, Solcyto and Emma for sharing versions of the trailer with us! You can read much more about The Tourist on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

TV Alert–First footage from THE TOURIST debuts tonight on ACCESS HOLLYWOOD, ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, and EXTRA!

Set your DVRs–the first scenes from the highly anticipated December release The Tourist, starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie — perhaps you’ve heard of them? — will air on entertainment news shows today, Tuesday, September 14. Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight and Extra! have all advertised segments on The Tourist for today’s shows (check your local schedules for airtimes). The brief clips will undoubtedly whet our appetites for the premiere of the first trailer from The Tourist, which will be released tomorrow, September 15th. GK Films reports that the trailer will debut exclusively on Yahoo! for two-hours from 9:00 am to 11:00 am (PDT), after which the trailer will be sent via satellite to media outlets worldwide.

If you would like to see The Tourist trailer on the big screen, it is scheduled to debut in theaters beginning September 17th attached to The Town. The Tourist will open across North America on December 10, 2010.

The Zone thanks Emma for news about the trailer, and FANtasticJD, Sonja, Christie, and Isadora for TV updates; you can read much more about The Tourist on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz film ON STRANGER TIDES in Puerto Rico–new photos!

The crystal blue waters of Puerto Rico made a beautiful backdrop for scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides, as Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz filmed there this week. In the photo at left, our favorite pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, rows a small boat with Angelica aboard; to see a larger photo, CLICK HERE, and to see the actors aboard a different kind of watercraft, CLICK HERE. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer shared this photo of the Pirates crew at work; you can find it HERE. Thanks to Emma, Theresa, JayGirl and FANtasticJD for the pictures; you can read much more about the filming of On Stranger Tides on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4: ON STRANGER TIDES to film in Puerto Rico tomorrow!

Johnny Depp is headed to Puerto Rico where he will film scenes as Captain Jack Sparrow for Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides this week, reports Primera Hora. A new filming location has been added–the historic Castillo San Cristobal in Old San Juan. El Nuevo Dia reports that “a small production team” from On Stranger Tides was seen working “on the assembly of the set” at that location today, September 7th, with filming to take place at that site tomorrow. Castillo San Cristobal will be the only location used in Old San Juan. However, another production team from On Stranger Tides is at work in Fajardo, where Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz are expected to shoot “the last scene of the film” on Thursday and Friday.

After the filming in Puerto Rico concludes, Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides moves to Pinewood Studios and locations in the UK.

The Zone thanks Emma for sharing several articles about the filming in Puerto Rico; you can read much more about it on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck talks about the “spectacular cast” of THE TOURIST–Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie

In a recent interview with MTV News, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, director of the Oscar-winning The Lives of Others, disclosed how he persuaded Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie to topline his next film, The Tourist.

MTV: How did you assemble such a spectacular cast?

Von Donnersmarck: I think if you create a part in the screenplay and what you describe to actors where they can show some of their acting muscle, then great actors will be attracted to those parts and will be game for it. I think what people forget often when they talk about such great stars as Angelina and Johnny, they forget that what they are, really, are actors. They’re actors with a capital “A,” but they’re much more actors than they are stars, and I think that these parts were just right for them as actors. They can really show what they can do. Angelina is so charming and delicate and feminine and strong and everything at the same time that I think when I talked to her about that part and when we worked on the screenplay together, she saw that she could really be able to do something with that part, and the same for Johnny. He shows so much of his own complexity in this part. He’s so winning, so charming, so funny, like he is in real life. I think in many ways, this part is quite close to who he is in real life. He is the most funny and charming person you’ll have ever met.

MTV: Well, we already know Paul [co-star Paul Bettany] fell in love with him . . .

Von Donnersmarck: It’s impossible not to. Everybody does. Same with Angelina. She is so much fun. Also, Johnny and Angie just got along so well, that was something I could sense straight from the first meeting that we had, the three of us. Believe it or not, Angie and Johnny had never met. Through all the years that they’ve been king and queen of Hollywood, they had never actually physically met, so I was the first person to ever bring them together. So if nothing else, that was a really historical moment. They just got along so well from the first moment they met that I knew it was going to be a lot of fun making this film. I probably have hours worth of bloopers where they were just laughing because they had so much fun inventing stuff on the fly and letting their incredible creativity run free.

The Tourist will be in theaters throughout North America on December 10, 2010.

The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the MTV interview; you can read more about The Tourist on the Zone’s News & Views forum. The full MTV interview with Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is available HERE.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND and Johnny Depp nominated for 2010 Scream Awards!

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland was honored with multiple nominations for Spike TV’s 2010 Scream Awards, including the night’s top award, The Ultimate Scream, where it will compete against Avatar, District 9, Inception, Iron Man 2, Kick-Ass, Lost, True Blood, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, and Zombieland. Whew! Alice in Wonderland also received nominations for Best Fantasy Movie, Best Director, and Best 3D. Johnny Depp was nominated for Best Fantasy Actor, Mia Wasikowska for Best Fantasy Actress and Best Breakout Actress, and Anne Hathaway for Best Supporting Actress. Congratulations to all the nominees!

Congratulations also to the cast and crew of Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which received a nomination for Best Fantasy Film.

To vote in the 2010 Scream Awards, CLICK HERE. The site invites you to vote now “and vote often,” so please do! The Zone thanks Belis for sharing information about the Scream Awards; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

The 2010 Scream Awards will be presented on October 19, 2010.

Filming gets explosive on the set of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4: ON STRANGER TIDES!

Several sessions of late-night shooting on the Universal Studios set of Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides ended with a bang on August 31st, with a mammoth (and very well-staged) explosion and fire engulfing the tower set. The photo at left shows Captain Jack Sparrow peering through an archway on the set’s upper level; to see a larger version, CLICK HERE. Then, after Captain Jack escapes from the tower, the set explodes in a massive fireball, as you can see HERE and HERE. Very dramatic!

No actors were harmed in the filming of the explosion; to see a photo of Johnny Depp (still in costume as Captain Jack) walking away from the set with security chief Jerry Judge beside him, CLICK HERE. This sequence marks the end of Pirates 4 filming at Universal Studios; the set (or what’s left of it) is now being struck.

The Zone thanks Emma, Doysa, and Evochka for sharing photos of the filming; you can read much more about Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides on the Zone’s News & Views forum.