Tom Hardy as The Gay & The Straight Kray
If you’re American, it’s understandable if you aren’t quite familiar with Reggie and Ronnie Kray. They were identical twins, one of whom was gay, and they were also notoriously violent British gangsters. In the U.K. they are the stuff of pop-culture legend. Morrissey wrote a song about them. A 1990 film called The Krays, starring Spandau Ballet’s twin brothers, Martin Kemp and Gary Kemp, won awards. So it was time to bring back their story for another go-’round with a film, now-shooting, currently titled Legend. It’s from writer-director Brian Helgeland and stars Tom Hardy (along with some prosthetic teeth and digital twin-making tricks) as the brothers, alongside Emily Browning, Christopher Eccleston and David Thewlis. Hardy is really the perfect choice for these roles, having proven he can play gay (RocknRolla) and also romance Reese Witherspoon (This Means War); he can simmer with barely restrained rage (The Drop) and he can explode in similar fashion (Warrior). Versatile folks, that’s what actors are supposed to be. This one’s due in theaters sometime in 2015, enough time to go catch up on the lyrics to “The Last of the Famous International Playboys.”
Naked Nick Jonas. We repeat: naked Nick Jonas
Now you know why Nick Jonas has that body: he’s about to star on Kingdom, a series for DirecTV about MMA fighters. The show, also starring Frank Grillo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Matt Lauria (Friday Night Lights) and Jonathan Tucker (Parenthood), is about the lives and rough times of MMA fighters living in Venice Beach. Another thing Jonas wants you to know is that he’s going to be naked on the show – a fact he recently dropped in very close proximity to another expression of gratitude for his gay male audience – and his character may well turn out to be gay or bisexual. So, to recap: a series about sweaty guys stripped to their shorts, beating each other up, where at least one of them is having sex with both genders. Send thank-you cards to the entertainment professional of your choice for this one, and prove your love for DirecTV by watching it all go down very soon, on Oct. 8.
Keanu Reeves and Rolan Emmerich will take you to New Angeles
In the future, a young man breaks free from the boredom of the everyday by entering a virtual reality called “New Angeles.” In this new place, he has a fresh identity, a new destiny, and he solves real-world mysteries that will shape his former life. Sound vaguely like… oh, say… The Matrix? Minus the red pills and other easily rearranged plot details? It’s OK if it does – all art borrows or steals from somewhere. So, if your sci-fi idea borrows from earlier, groundbreaking sci-fi ideas, who’s to say it’s wrong? And furthermore, who better to produce a weekly TV series based on this premise than Neo himself, Keanu Reeves? The actor, alongside producing partner Roland Emmerich (currently in post-production on the period gay rights drama, Stonewall), have set up the idea and are going to see how far they can run with it. Casting and pilot are next and, really, with this kind of muscle behind it, it’s surely going to land somewhere running. Stay tuned.
Franco’s wants to “Crash” into Fight Club’s Pahlaniuk
James Franco, who keeps directing indie film after indie film – when he’s not busy jumping out of Jimmy Fallon’s birthday cake with a shirtless Seth Rogen – is going to make another indie film. He’s acquired the feature film rights to Fight Club author Chuck Pahlaniuk’s 2007 novel, Rant. He also may take the title role in the movie as Buster Rant Casey, a demolition driver who participates in something called the Party Crashing derby, where drivers intentionally crash into each other for the physical thrill of it (recalling J.G. Ballard’s novel and David Cronenberg’s film adaptation, Crash, about people who become involved in auto accidents as part of a sexual fetish). Filmmaker Pamela Romanowsky (Adderall Diaries, co-produced by Franco) may write and direct. It’s early days for this one, so expect more details to follow. Also expect to see Franco direct/write/produce/star in several other projects in the meantime. Who needs sleep, anyway?