MTV Movies Blog ›

The never-ending quest of James Franco doing awesome things continues, as this year's Oscar host has officially landed his next big assignment as the Wizard of Oz.

Franco has closed his deal to take on the starring role in "Oz the Great and Powerful," a move that reunites him with "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi. Deadline reports that Franco will shoot "Oz" this summer between the Noah Baumbach-directed "While We Were Young" and David Cromer's "Sweet Bird of Youth," based on the Tennessee Williams play.

There are more headlines to sift through today, so click those ruby slippers past the jump to read about the new censored version of "The King's Speech," "Prometheus" casting news and more!

Read more...

Tags ewan mcGregor, idris elba, Jack the Giant-Killer, james franco, joel mchale, Katie Dickie, kill bill, Oz The Great and Powerful, prometheus, Sean Harris, Ted, the king's speech

Anyone who has been following the campaign for Nicolas Cage's new action-adrenaline thriller "Drive Angry" should know by now that while the film is not a likely awards contender, the trailers give enough away for filmgoers to know what they're getting themselves into.

This is Cage at his absolute "Cage-iest," supported by pretty Amber Heard and favorite character actor William Fichtner stealing every scene he's in. The death scenes are creative and crazy violent, coupled with "car porn" by way of stunt sequences that feature gorgeous and classic muscle cars.

But this is not a film for everyone, of course. According to Cage himself, "Drive Angry" is a film for the "midnight audiences." When MTV News caught up with the actor at a recent press event for the film, I asked him to define the late night moviegoers.

Read more...

Tags Drive Angry, nicolas cage

The Farrelly Brothers are back with this weekend's "Hall Pass," the Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis-starring comedy about two married men who just need a break.

When their womanizing fantasies start bleeding into reality, their wives (Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate) offer them a hall pass. No, that's not school slang; a hall pass gifts both couples with a week-long break from marriage, allowing them to do anything and everything that their hearts desire. Want to pursue the beautiful barista at the local coffee shop? Have at it – as long as your skills are sharp enough to woo her into bed, that is.

Wilson and Sudeikis' characters deal with the hall pass in ways we certainly won't spoil for you here, but we got curious: what would some of our other favorite movie couples do if given a hall pass? Our predictions are past the jump!

Read more...

Tags Hall Pass

If you're looking to know what you can expect during the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday (February 27), look no further.

Deadline has posted posted what they claim is an annotated rundown of the Oscars broadcast, which they have dubbed a possible "snorefest."

There's no doubt that if this is the real deal, a few tweaks will be made before the big show, but if you don't want to know most of what's expected to go down with James Franco, Anne Hathaway and a few of their closest friends, go ahead and avert your eyes. Curious Oscar viewers with no cares about spoilers, you may proceed.

Read more...

Tags anne hathaway, james franco, Oscars 2011

Last week we brought you two exclusive images from "Limitless," Bradley Cooper's upcoming thriller about a black-market pharmaceutical that allows users to access the full potential of their brain power. In Cooper's case, that means ditching his life as a schlubby, struggling novelist, getting all spiffed-up with a new 'do and rack of designer suits, and diving into the world of high-profile corporate mergers.

One of the photos highlighted Cooper's romantic liaison with Abbie Cornish. Today, we bring you two new photos that showcase another of Cooper's amorous entanglements — this time with T.V. Carpio, who plays the wife of his landlord (and also stars in "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" on Broadway). The duo start off as foes, but as Cooper's drug-enhanced mind-tricks kick in, their interaction takes a, um, zexy turn.

"What can I say? I kind of love my job," Caprio laughed during a chat with MTV News.

Read more...

Tags bradley cooper, Limitless, T.V. Carpio

If you're a fan of Nicolas Cage's crazy antics, jaw-dropping violence, fast cars and other assorted forms of purely visceral entertainment, then you have to see "Drive Angry."

Cage stars in Patrick Lussier's hell-driven 3-D revenge flick as John Milton, a bleached-blonde badass with nothing but a focused goal and a bag of guns to his name. Milton is searching for Jonah King (Billy Burke), a dangerous Satan worshipper who murdered his daughter and kidnapped her baby with the intention of sacrificing her to the forces of Hell. Milton's relentless vengeance quest is assisted by the beautiful and tough-as-nails Piper (Amber Heard) and hindered by The Accountant (William Fichtner), one of the devil's closest advisors.

For adrenaline junkies and Cage enthusiasts, "Drive Angry" is a must-see. Period, end of discussion, no excuses. But if you need further convincing, click past the jump for five reasons you need to see this film.

Read more...

Tags Drive Angry, Drive Angry 3-D

Matt Damon is not returning for "The Bourne Legacy." This much we know. But who can replace the face of Universal's prized action franchise?

Apparently, there are a lot of people lining up for the job. Deadline reports on an extensive list of actors that are supposedly in the mix for the lead role in Tony Gilroy's next "Bourne" movie, which won't focus on Jason Bourne himself, but rather another character set in that same universe.

So, who are some of the candidates looking to join the "Bourne" franchise? Really, it's almost easier to name the actors who aren't vying for the project. Aside from the sad exclusion of the free-roaming James Franco, the "Bourne" list is a veritable who's who of young up-and-coming Hollywood stars.

Read more...

Tags Alex Pettyfer, Benjamin Walker, garrett hedlund, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joel Edgerton, Josh Hartnett, Luke Evans, matt damon, Michael Fassbender, Michael Pitt, oscar isaac, paul dano, Taylor Kitsch, the bourne legacy, tobey maguire

The Oscars are just three days away now, and as the race draws to a close, it feels like it's getting tighter than ever.

In the Best Supporting categories, "The Fighter" co-stars Christian Bale and Melissa Leo were long considered the frontrunners for their categories. Lately, however, some potential spoilers have emerged. And it's like that for a lot of this year's categories — like Best Actress, an award that many believed belonged to Natalie Portman months ago.

But is she really a shoe-in for the top prize? Can someone stand in Portman's way? We're fielding that question past the jump, and asking you to join us by voting on YOUR pick for Best Actress!

Read more...

Tags Annette Bening, jennifer lawrence, michelle williams, natalie portman, Nicole Kidman, Oscars 2011

A lot of attention has been paid to James Franco's extracurricular activities lately — he's a student, he's a teacher, he's a Twitter maestro and more — but let's not forget that the man is also an actor.

Currently knee-deep in preparations for this coming weekend's 83rd Annual Academy Awards ceremony, Franco enters the Oscars not just as a host, but as a Best Actor nominee for his turn in "127 Hours." But even as an Oscar-nominated actor, Franco is the kind of guy who makes his own unique career choices — see "General Hospital" for more on that — and his latest acting gig, "Rise of the Apes," looks no different.

Check out a first look at Franco in "Rise of the Apes" past the jump!

Read more...

Tags james franco, Rise of the Apes

It was about time when the BAFTAs recognized the impact "Harry Potter" has had on the film community, but what about the Oscars?

Over the seven films in the series, "Harry Potter" has earned nine Oscar nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but zero victories. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" is up for two awards this Sunday (February 27) -- Best Achievement in Art Direction and Best Achievement in Visual Effects -- and we think it's about time that "Potter" got the recognition it deserves.

After the jump, check out some of the reasons that the Academy should give the "Potter" films a much-earned Oscar.

Read more...

Tags Harry Potter, harry potter and the deathly hallows, Oscars 2011