Posted 12/27/11 2:45 pm EST by Terri Schwartz in Casting Call
Seth Rogen could be doing double duty as both producer and star of a film again, according to a new report. Meanwhile, Bret Easton Ellis stirs up some casting rumors on his Twitter account, and Christina Hendricks picks a new role that will return her to the '60s.
It's December 27, and you're tuning into today's Casting Call!
Posted 12/15/11 7:30 am EST by Eric Ditzian in Commentary, Video
I kept fearing "50/50" would take a left turn onto Sappy Boulevard, plod past Preachy Junction and come to a rest in a town populated by "Dying Young," "Autumn in New York" and "Sweet November," where everyone learns pat lessons and becomes better people (except for those who die; those unfortunate folks just help us learn something about ourselves before they pass into the Great Cheesy Beyond).
"50/50" is a movie about cancer, after all, about a young man with the disease. At a certain point star Seth Rogen would have to cease being Seth Rogen, and the whole film would become some YA version of "Beaches," right?
Wrong, wrong, wrong. Based on writer Will Reiser's own experiences and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young radio producer suffering from a rare form of cancer, "50/50" pulls off the magic trick of staying consistently funny, sweet, affecting and real — and never, ever cheesy. For all these reasons and more, "50/50" lands at #8 on MTV's list of the best movies of 2011.
Posted 9/30/11 12:22 pm EST by Kara Warner in Five Reasons, Reviews
In a nutshell, "50/50" is movie about an otherwise average 27-year-old guy named Adam who gets diagnosed with cancer, and what happens to his life and the people in it when faced with 50/50 odds of survival.
Unlike most of the generic, forgettable fare that Hollywood churns out each year, this film is something special. With an all-star cast including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick and Anjelica Huston, you will actually care about the characters, get swept up in the story and actually feel something when you walk out. "50/50" is one of the best movies I've seen this year, and here are a few reasons why it will be one of your favorites as well.
Posted 9/21/11 1:05 pm EST by Kara Warner in News, Video
Any time we get a chance to catch up with Seth Rogen it is a good time, if only to hear his adorable giggle. Even better when the discussion at hand involves his excellent upcoming film "50/50" as well as his long-in-development survival horror comedy "Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse."
Regarding the latter, which, last we heard, will start shooting this February, we asked Rogen to clear up exactly which esteemed actors have officially signed onto the project, since it seems that the cast has been changing since the project was announced.
"We've decided to add more people, so ideally 'Jay and Seth' looks like it has become Jay, Seth, Jonah, Danny, Craig and James," Rogen revealed. (That's Baruchel, Rogen, Hill, McBride, Robinson and Franco, by the way.)
Posted 9/8/11 11:43 am EST by Josh Wigler in Casting Call
If you were still holding out hope that Seth Rogen would be a part of Judd Apatow's "Knocked Up" spinoff, it's time to give it up.
"I'm not in it," he tells Movies.com, saying that his involvement would be a bit jarring for the audience. "It was a good choice, honestly, because I think it would've confused people … But I'm really looking forward to seeing it; I thought the script was unbelievably funny."
He adds that the long-developing survival horror comedy "Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse" will start shooting this February.
Get more of today's casting news past the jump!
Posted 8/9/11 12:30 pm EST by Terri Schwartz in Casting Call
Gerard Butler is returning to the good side of the law in Millennium Films' latest acquisition, "The Bricklayer."
The Hollywood Reporter has the news that the "Law Abiding Citizen" star has been brought on board to play former FBI agent Noah Boyd in the book adaptation. Boyd is working as a Chicago bricklayer when he is called in to stop a criminal organization demanding multimillion-dollar ransom payments. "Enigma" scribe Hanna Weg is writing the screenplay.
Check out the rest of today's casting news after the jump!
Posted 8/5/11 11:00 am EST by Terri Schwartz in DVD, Video
Ever wonder how loveable funny guy Seth Rogen was transformed into a big-headed, small green alien in this year's "Paul"? Well, thanks to this exclusive behind-the-scenes clip MTV News has from the "Paul" DVD, you can find out (the disc, the Blu-ray and the On Demand film arrive August 9th).
Stars and co-writers Nick Frost and Simon Pegg explain the footage shown in the video, which feature samples of an early edit where the character Paul was just Rogen's floating head from his separate rehearsals. It was a way for the crew to get a sense of Rogen's role in the movie, even though he wasn't acting it out.
"Seth is the character, so they've shot him in rehearsal with various angles, with the other actors, but we've just got to put him into the scenes," explained editor Chris Dickens. "Essentially, I've just used the rehearsal and I've just put him in a little box."
Posted 7/26/11 10:52 am EST by Josh Wigler in Casting Call
Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, it's time to square off.
The Judd Apatow staple and the former "High School Musical" star are butting heads in an untitled comedy where Rogen plays an average guy going toe-to-toe against Efron's frat boy character. That's a team up we never really expected to see, but it's one we're interested in seeing all the same!
Check out the rest of today's casting news past the jump, including new roles for Harrison Ford and Jennifer Lawrence!
Posted 7/7/11 3:35 pm EST by Terri Schwartz in Casting Call
If a good combination works, why change it? That's the mentality we're guessing is going behind the reteaming of Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jonathan Levine and Will Reiser for the flick "Jamaica."
The foursome worked together on "50/50," and now The Hollywood Reporter has the news that they will be working together on a second film drawn from director Levine's past. The script, according to THR, will be based on a vacation Levine took to Jamaica with his grandmother when he was 14, and is being described as "something of a passion project."
In the news after the jump, a new actor heads to "Gangster Squad," "Animal Farm" might get remade and J.B. Smoove joins "The Dictator."
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Oscars 2012: Why '50/50' Deserved A Best Picture Nod
Posted 2/14/12 5:10 pm EST by Amy Wilkinson in Commentary, Oscars
Nine films are nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards this year, begging the question: who deserved a tenth spot on that list? Oscars 2012: 10 Spot answers that question, as the MTV Movies team highlights some of 2011's greatest films and argues why they deserved a nod as the tenth Best Picture nominee.
Director Jonathan Levine's affecting "50/50" would be worthy of recognition if, for no other reason, than transcending an unfortunate shorthand (It's a cancer comedy!) to earn its place as a well-regarded piece of cinema. But what makes the dramedy truly Oscar-worthy (and a decided snub on the part of the Academy) is that it's a film greater than the sum of its (very good) parts, touching on a buffet of themes (life, death, love) without the oft-requisite side of stinky cheese.
Inspired by his real-life battle with a rare form of spinal cancer, screenwriter Will Reiser introduces us to 27-year-old Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who's facing his own diagnosis and 50/50 odds. And the young man's support system is a motley crew to say the least—well-meaning best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen), high-strung mom Diane (Anjelica Huston) and therapist-in-training (and potential love interest) Katherine (Anna Kendrick).
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Tags 50/50, joseph gordon-levitt, Oscars 10 Spot, Oscars 2012, seth rogen, Will Reiser