MTV Movies Blog › woody harrelson

Last week, reports surfaced that Woody Harrelson did not like the film that's earning him Best Actor buzz, "Rampart." The film, a re-teaming for him and his "Messenger" director Oren Moverman, follows one of the dirtiest cops the LAPD has ever seen and was one that Harrelson felt incredibly passionate about while working on it.

"I had such high hopes for this movie. I really felt it was going to be great. Didn't like it," Harrelson said. "It veered substantially away from what we shot, and it was substantially different from the script, the ending, several characters dropped out. Lots of things changed."

Read more...

Tags Rampart, woody harrelson

Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained" is getting a bit of a casting make-over.

First up, Kurt Russell is reuniting with his "Death Proof" director in the upcoming film. He'll be replacing Kevin Costner as the psychotic Ace Woody, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Also reuniting with the director is "Kill Bill's" Laura Cayouette, who THR reports will be playing Leonardo DiCaprio's widowed sister.

In related news, THR has learned that Christoph Waltz injured his pelvis during training for "Django Unchained," and that's why he was unable to attend the New York premiere of "Carnage" on Friday.

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

Read more...

Tags Christoph Waltz, Colin-Farrell, Django Unchained, Flight, Foxcatcher, Frank or Francis, James Badge Dale, Jesse Eisenberg, kevin kline, kurt russell, Laura Cayouette, Martin McDonagh, melissa leo, Now You See Me, Seven Psychopaths, steve carell, woody harrelson

All Josh Hartnett needs is his fists to kick some serious butt in the newest teaser for "Bunraku."

Who needs set-up for a movie when a minute-long video clip can just show Hartnett beating up on baddies left and right? Clearly his character, The Drifter, has some anger issues to deal with. "Bunraku" first premiered as an official selection during Midnight Madness at 2010's Toronto International Film Festival, and is slated to hit theaters on September 30. Though this trailer only shows off Hartnett's skills fighting his enemies, the movie does have a lot more to offer -- "It's not all about fighting," Woody Harrelson's character tells The Drifter, though he doesn't exactly agree.

Read more...

Tags bunraku, demi moore, Josh Hartnett, Kevin McKidd, ron perlman, woody harrelson

FROM MTV MOVIES: The highly anticipated big-screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins' dystopian best-seller "The Hunger Games" has been loading its cast with a slew of new faces, most recently Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane and two brand new actors as the District 10 tributes.

In addition to the casting announcements of high-profile stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark and Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne, Lionsgate has been revealing its Hunger Games tributes via its Facebook page.

The big news on Tuesday (May 10) is that Haymitch Abernathy will be played by Woody Harrelson and not John C. Reilly, as had been previously rumored.

Director Gary Ross said of the casting decision: "Haymich is such an unforgettable character: funny cranky outrageous, sarcastic, impatient, biting but ultimately kind. I'm so grateful we have Woody Harrelson to play him. I can't wait for us to get to work."

Read the full story at MTV Movies!

Tags The Hunger Games, woody harrelson

Mark Zuckerberg is itching to kill the undead. Kind of.

Jesse Eisenberg, who plays the punk/genius/billionaire man-child behind Facebook in David Fincher's upcoming "The Social Network," recently told MTV News that he's game for a "Zombieland" sequel. Eisenberg starred as a geeky, Emma Stone-loving destroyer of the undead in the delightfully graphic 2009 horror-comedy; he says the cast and crew have a "great affection" for the film and "if they were to put together a good sequel, we would all probably be really excited to do it."

So, Eisenberg did qualify his statement with a well placed "if" and equally strategic "probably," but "Zombieland" fans should most definitely be optimistic. Read more...

Tags david fincher, emma stone, jess eisenberg, The Social Network, woody harrelson, zombieland, Zombieland 2

Here's an animated film for the vegetarians out there, something to put on the shelf next to "Chicken Run": it's called "Turkeys," and it's about two gobblers who discover a time machine, travel back to pre-Colonial times and stop their kind from being made synonymous with Thanksgiving dinner. I'm not sure what else they suggest to take their place on the menu, but I'm guessing it won't be another kind of meat, which would make this like an adaptation of a Chik-fil-A commercial.

Variety reports that the turkey duo will be voiced by Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson, which implies that these birds will be lovable loser-types: slackers, surfers or even stoners. "Turkeys" will be a family film though, despite the fact that it's being executive produced Peter Farrelly, so don't expect explicit drug jokes or anything too raunchy. Read more...

Tags A Wrinkle in Time, owen wilson, Rats of NIMH, Turkey, woody harrelson

You might not realize it, but long before there was a “Zombieland” hit movie, there was nearly a “Zombieland” TV series. Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick originally envisioned the reality of a post-apocalyptic, zombie-heavy world as ideal for the television medium, had a pilot script that ended when Wichita and Little Rock drove off and left Tallahassee and Columbus behind, and only expanded it after the networks passed. Now, the flick is on DVD, sequels are on the way – and the writers are determined to still make a “Zombieland” TV series.

“We wrote it as a TV show almost five years ago – the summer of 2005 - and sold it to CBS,” said Paul Wernick, who conceived the project with his writing partner Rhett Reese as the first-ever zombie TV show. “Ultimately, it just wasn’t the perfect fit at the right time for CBS, and they ended up not moving forward on it.” Read more...

Tags 28 Days Later, emma stone, Paul Wernick, rhett reese, woody harrelson, zombieland, Zombieland 2

Last October, “Zombieland” took a big, gory bite out of the box-office, debuting at number one and bringing in over $25 million in ticket sales. Immediately, there was talk of a sequel, and when we caught up with the hit film’s red hot writers recently, they said the plans are moving forward.

“We want to stick with our dysfunctional family,” revealed Paul Wernick, who created the post-apocalyptic zombie world (now on DVD!) with writing partner Rhett Reese. “But also introduce new characters.” Read more...

Tags abigail breslin, emma stone, woody harrelson, zombieland, Zombieland 2

It was the greatest movie cameo of 2009, possibly among the greatest of all time. It was a top-secret series of scenes that had such actors as Abigail Breslin and Emma Stone sworn to absolute secrecy. Now, “Zombieland” is on DVD, and the hilarious subplot involving Bill Murray is on display for all to see.

So, with the gag order officially lifted, we had to ask the makers of the film: How did the cameo by the reclusive, eccentric star come to be? And the story, it turns out, is as hilarious as the movie itself.

“We started with Patrick Swayze,” co-writer Paul Wernick told us when he stopped by the MTV studios recently. “Patrick Swayze was the original celebrity cameo [in the script] when we wrote it, but he unfortunately got sick, and we didn’t have the opportunity to present him the script. So, once he got sick, the producer Gavin Polone and us and [director] Ruben [Fleischer] all sat down and figured ‘Who can we go to next?’” Read more...

Tags bill murray, Paul Wernick, rhett reese, Video, woody harrelson, zombieland

Stephen Colbert is an artful comedian and satirist, but his skills as a barber and his taste in hairstyles are questionable at best, recently evidenced in his decision to shave himself entirely bald. Of course, one of "The Colbert Report" host's many fine qualities is his unparalleled sense of patriotism, which was at the root of his radical haircut in a decision made to support American troops fighting overseas.

Apparently, Colbert's sense of nationalism is contagious. On his show last evening, Colbert managed to convince actor Woody Harrelson — currently promoting "The Messenger," which focuses on an army officer that delivers death notices to soldiers' families — to let him shave his head.

That's right: Stephen Colbert shaving Woody Harrelson's head in a mutual show of solidarity for soldiers fighting abroad. The video evidence is after the jump. Read more...

Tags stephen colbert, woody harrelson