Universal Pictures and Working Title’s CATS is a most-unexpected film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s beloved smash musical “Cats” and the poems from “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” by T.S. Eliot. Oscar®-winning director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables, The Danish Girl) brings astonishing new technology to transform his performers, who will be choreographed by visionary movement pioneer Wayne McGregor, CBE. Acclaimed casting director Lucy Bevan is casting the film adaptation.
The epic will be produced by Hooper and Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, as well as fellow Les Misérables producer Debra Hayward—who brought the idea to Working Title. CATS will be produced by Working Title Films in association with Monumental Pictures and The Really Useful Group and executive produced by three-time Oscar® winner Steven Spielberg, Lloyd Webber and Angela Morrison. Hooper and Lee Hall (Billy Elliott, War Horse) have adapted the story for the screen.
One of the longest-running shows in West End and Broadway history, “Cats” received its world premiere at the New London Theatre in 1981—where it played for 21 record-breaking years and almost 9,000 performances. The groundbreaking production based on T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” was the winner of the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical. In 1983 the Broadway production became the recipient of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and ran for an extraordinary 18 years.
Alfie Elkins (Jude Law) works as a limousine driver, chauffeuring the wealthy through the streets of Manhattan, and occasionally making love to his lonely female clients in the backseat. Though he has his ambitions, he wants only enough to get by, his primary focus being the pleasures of life -- without any of the responsibilities.
Yeah, it's true that Alfie Elkins epitomizes the swinging playboy bachelor archetype… But, underneath the charm, the bravado, the swagger… there's another side… a man who, as Mick Jagger's lyrics for "Alfie" so aptly describe... "won't let the love in."
Starring: Jude Law, Marisa Tomei, Susan Sarandon, Omar Epps, Nia Long, Jane Krakowski, Sienna Miller
English language with latvian and russian subtitles.
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY tells the dark, hilarious and deeply touching story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose lives have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name made its Broadway debut in December 2007 after premiering at Chicago’s legendary Steppenwolf Theatre earlier that year. It continued with a successful international run and was the winner of five Tony Awards in 2008, including Best Play. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is directed by John Wells (THE COMPANY MEN) and features an all-star cast, including Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Abigail Breslin, Sam Shepard, and Chris Cooper.
"Into the Woods" is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them.
When a young woman unexpectedly arrives at an older man's workplace, looking for answers, the secrets of the past threaten to unravel his new life. Their confrontation will uncover buried memories and unspeakable desires. It will shake them both to the core.
In 2004, director Zhang Yimou caused a sensation with his astonishing HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, and his CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER is yet another dazzling, visually stunning film.
Calling again upon the talents of the striking Gong Li, Yimou tells an epic tale of lust and power set in the opulent world of the Later Tang dynasty. The plot follows the story of the Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) and his Empress (Li) and the tragic disintegration of their royal family--whose problems go far beyond the merely dysfunctional. For starters, the ailing Empress has long been having an affair with her stepson, the Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye). Unbeknownst to her, Wan has been dallying with the Imperial Doctor's daughter (Li Man), and has plans to escape the palace with her. Meanwhile, the Emperor himself has just returned from a long trip, and while relations with his wife are obviously icy, it becomes clear that his plans for her are far more ominous than she could ever imagine. Everyone involved has a secret plan for either escape or domination, resulting in an explosive ending wherein the darkest family secrets are revealed and horrifically bloody battles are waged both inside and outside the walls of the sparkling, gold-encrusted palace.
Cast: Yun-Fat Chow , Li Gong, Jay Chou, Ye Liu, Dahong Ni, Junjie Qin, Man Li, Jin Chen
Directed by Yimou Zhang
Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one passion - dancing. Her dream is to appear on "The Corny Collins Show," Baltimore's hippest dance party on TV. Tracy (Nikki Blonsky) seems a natural fit for the show except for one not-so-little problem - she doesn't fit. Her plus-sized figure has always set her apart from the in-crowd, which she is reminded of by her loving but overly protective plus-sized mother, Edna (John Travolta). That doesn't stop Tracy because if there is one thing that this big girl knows, it's that she was born to boogie.
Cast: John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Brittany Snow, Nicole Blonsky, Zac Efron, Allison Janney
Directed by Adam Shankman
Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) - a man unjustly imprisoned for 15 years, manages to escape back to London with a vow of revenge. Adopting the guise of Sweeney Todd, Barker returns to his old barber shop above Mrs. Lovett's pie-making premises. There he sets his sights on Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who sent him away in order to steal his wife, Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly), and his baby daughter from him.
When a rival barber, the flamboyant Italian Pirelli (Sacha Baron Cohen), threatens to expose Sweeney's real identity, Todd kills him. Mrs. Lovett sees this crisis as a potential solution to her ailing business - and suggests using his victims as filling for her pies. Mrs. Lovett dreams of respectability and a life at the seaside with Sweeney as her husband. But Sweeney has only revenge on his mind - to the detriment of anyone or anything else.
Cast: Johnny Depp, Helena Bohnam Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jamie Campbell Bower, Laura Michelle Kelly
Directed by Tim Burton