MTV Movies Blog › anthony hopkins

Call them "cult classics." "Guilty pleasures." "Comfort movies." We all have a mental rolodex of flicks that may not be terribly popular but, for one reason or another, they resonate in a very special way. Maybe you saw it at the right moment. Maybe you just see gold where everyone else sees feces. Whatever the case, these are the special favorites that you keep stashed away for sick days. These are some of ours.

Ryan Gosling will complete his cinematic hat trick this weekend with the political drama "The Ides of March," playing a hungry press secretary on the campaign trail with George Clooney's earnest presidential candidate, Mike Morris. The film, based on the Beau Willimon play "Farragut North," is getting the kind of approval rating a world leader would kill for, but before you slap down your $10 and load up on the Junior Mints, I suggest you check out another of Gosling's intrigues, 2007's "Fracture."

In fact, I'd call the underrated crime drama a companion piece of sorts to "Ides of March." I mean, after the events of "Fracture," I could totally see Gosling's Willy Beachum eschewing the district attorney's office in favor of a political position supporting a man he believes could change the country. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

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Tags anthony hopkins, Fracture, Ryan Gosling

Do you hear the people sing? Singing the song of Russell Crowe?

Well, you'll certainly be hearing his singing voice in full force come December 2012, as the Oscar winning actor has been cast as fugitive hunter Javert in Tom Hooper's "Les Miserables." Crowe is in talks to star opposite Hugh Jackman in the musical adaptation, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Additionally, the always creepy Helena Bonham Carter has been tapped to join the cast as Madame Thenardier, who sings the best line by far in "Master of the House." Great casting all around!

Check out the rest of today's casting news past the jump!

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Tags Adam Rodriguez, anthony hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter, Les Miserables, Magic Mike, Peter Stormare, Russell Crowe, Solace, the dark knight rises, the last stand

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know what Sir Anthony Hopkins has been up to lately -- ruling the universe as Asgardian overloard Odin in "Thor."

Naturally, being the esteemed thespian and Oscar-winner that he is, Hopkins is no stranger to portraying important and imposing figures. He is always in-demand and busy on a variety of upcoming projects. When MTV News caught up with him during the "Thor" press day over the weekend, he revealed that he is in talks with Angelina Jolie about playing Winston Churchill in a film she's developing.

"I might work with Angelina Jolie on 'Churchill and Roosevelt,'" he said. "She’s got a thing about Churchill. Angelina sent me a synopsis of the script yesterday, so that’s in the offering as well."

When asked what his thoughts are about the synopsis and the project as a whole, Hopkins said he hadn't made a decision yet, and joked that he worries he'd have to gain weight in the process.

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Tags Angelina-Jolie, anthony hopkins, Churchill and Roosevelt, thor

Charlie Sheen is a Vatican warlock assassin with fire-breathing fists and a neverending #winning streak. You know this. But did you know that he cooks, too?

Sheen's days on "Two and a Half Men" are over, but the irrepressible actor has found a new entertainment outlet in the form of a cooking show on Funny or Die. Want to learn how to cook a steak the Charlie Sheen way? Of course you do—but you'll need a serious supply of tiger blood, jaguar tears and assassin ancestry to get the recipe juuust right.

There's more going on in the movie world today, including a potential new Guillermo del Toro project and a serious "James Bond" rumor. Get all the news you could ask for past the jump!

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Tags anthony hopkins, Charlie Sheen, Daydream Nation, guillermo-del-toro, james bond 23, kat dennings, neil gaiman, Star Fox

If it's not enough to watch Anthony Hopkins get all creepy and possessed in the new thriller "The Rite," you should know that the exorcisms and exorcists depicted in the film are based on real events and people!

When MTV News caught up with the film's other stars, newcomers Colin O'Donoghue and Alice Braga, we asked them what the reaction to the film has been from the real-life people on which O'Donoghue's and Hopkins' characters are based.

"Father Gary saw the film, who my character is based on, and he said it was really a great representation of what he does on a daily basis," O'Donoghue said. "I spoke to a lot of exorcists before we did it and I went to see some exorcisms in Rome, and what you realize is that it is a real thing that’s happening daily for millions of people across the world."

The Irish actor went on to say that one of the most interesting aspects of making the film was learning so much about exorcism, and how it actually affects people.

"You don’t think about it, most people don’t go around saying ‘I saw my exorcist today,' " he joked. "It’s not something people talk about. Also you have to slowly understand and appreciate that, to them, it’s a real living thing and to be respectful."

One burning question we had to ask was if O'Donoghue and Braga were told how people become possessed, or if there are commonalities between people who have to be exorcised.

"They say you open yourself up to it by doing stuff like the Ouiji Board or trying to contact spirits," he said. "That’s what you read about and exorcists have told us that, [but] who’s to say? There’s no answer either way as to whether it’s real or not real," O'Donoghue added. "I think that’s what this film is trying to debate."

What's your take on exorcists and those who claim to be possessed? Tell us in the comments!

Tags Alice Braga, anthony hopkins, colin o'donoghue, the rite

Momentum's been building over the past week around an adaptation of the Stephen Rebello book "Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho," and this latest news should make fans of the Master of Suspense even happier. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Anthony Hopkins is in talks to play Hitchcock on the big screen.

Just last week it was announced that "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" director Sacha Gervasi was in talks to helm the flick. He was also planning on rewriting the screenplay penned by "Black Swan"'s John McLaughlin.

"Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho" unsurprisingly tells the story of Hitchcock leading up to the creation of the 1960 masterpiece. It follows Hitchcock who, at the height of his game as a director, chose to make a "lowly" horror movie. The book introduces a wealth of new characters we haven't met before, like the studio representatives who wanted nothing to do with the project, "Pyscho" author Robert Bloch and the film's screenwriters, editors, composers and producers. Apparently at the center of the script is the relationship between Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville. Read more...

Tags Alfred Hitchcock, anthony hopkins, anvil! the story of anvil, Helen Mirren, sacha gervasi

Demons, exorcisms and Hannibal Lecter as a priest -- oh my! Just in time for Halloween, MTV has scored an exclusive photo from the supernatural thriller "The Rite," which is planning to scare the everliving bejeesus out of audiences everywhere come January 28, 2011.

Colin O'Donoghue stars as Michael Kovak, a skeptical seminary student who reluctantly attends exorcism school at the Vatican. There, he finds his beliefs challenged by a Roman Catholic priest named Father Lucas -- played with usual gusto by Sir Anthony Hopkins -- whose rather unique teaching methods introduce Michael to the darker side of faith and, apparently, quite a few demons... one of which they're attempting to extract in the photo below.

If the idea of a Vatican-run exorcism school sounds unlikely, consider this: The film is based on Matt Baglio's 2009 book "The Making of a Modern Day Exorcist," which chronicles the author's real-life experiences while attending a one-month Vatican exorcism seminar in 2007. Scared yet? Read more...

Tags anthony hopkins, colin o'donoghue, halloween, Photo, the rite

For quite some time, the only thing we've known about the planned 3-D treatment of "Arabian Nights" is that it will star Liam Hemsworth. Now we know who he'll (potentially) be facing off against: Anthony Hopkins, as the evil sorcerer Pharotu. The veteran actor is in final negotiations to take the role, THR reports. Hopkins will also be appearing with another Hemsworth, Liam's brother Chris, in next year's summer Marvel adaptation "Thor." You can check out the full story over on THR's Heat Vision Blog.

Tags anthony hopkins, Arabian Nights, Liam Hemsworth

It's the first November of 2009, which means it's time to pull that lever, touch that screen or figure out whatever newfangled contraption your district has provided: today is Election Day, so cast that vote!

I put that exclamation point in there not because I'm excited to vote in New York's mayoral election, but because Election Day gets me thinking about what a rich topic elections have been for cinema. Combining intrigue, corruption, passion and the odd sex scandal, politics in general and elections in particular have made for some big screen gems over the years. Here are my favs. Read more...

Tags anthony hopkins, Eddie Murphy, election, nixon, reese witherspoon, Robert-Redford, Ron Silver, the candidate, The Distinguished Gentleman, timecop

Sir Anthony Hopkins’ appearance at the Kodak Theatre was completely expected Sunday night. The respected movie badass and former Best Actor winner for “Silence of the Lambs” is, after all, an annual fixture for the Academy Awards. What far fewer Oscar watchers likely anticipated, however, was the British film icon’s confession of love for “American Idol.”

“I’m an ‘American Idol’ addict,” Hopkins told MTV News in an exclusive interview from the red carpet. Asked to name his guilty entertainment pleasures, the “Beowulf” and upcoming “King Lear” star offered up his TV habit shamelessly. Read more...

Tags american idol, anthony hopkins