Angelina Jolie Gifted With Special Pendant From Louis Zamperini
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- Published on Friday, 11 October 2013 03:45
- Written by Contact Music
Actress-turned-director Angelina Jolie has been wearing a special necklace on the set of her new prisoner-of-war movie Unbroken after receiving the gift from the film's real-life subject.The Wanted star has started work on the movie adaptation of Olympian Louis Zamperini's survival story, and she has a lucky charm to help her make all the right decisions.Zamperini, who was captured by the Japanese during World War Two, struck up a close friendship with Jolie while she was developing the project, which is now shooting in Australia, and he has shown his support for the Hollywood beauty by giving her a gold pendant in the shape of a running shoe - a nod to his days as an athlete at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.He tells People magazine, "Angelina is a human dynamo, and I know she will tell this story in the right way."Jolie admits tackling Zamperini's life story has been a little daunting, but she's proud to be in charge of the project, which is based on Laura Hillenbrand's biography.She says, "Like all readers of Laura's book and all people who love and admire Louis, I am a fan. It will be hard to make a film worthy of this great man. I am deeply honoured to have the chance."British newcomer Jack O'Connell will portray Zamperini in the film, while Domhnall Gleeson has been cast as war hero Russel Allen Phillips.Zamperini became a prisoner of war in 1943 when his U.S. Air Force plane crashed down in the Pacific and he was captured by Japanese soldiers behind enemy lines after spending over a month at sea without food or water.
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John Magaro Joins Angelina Jolie’s Louis Zamperini Pic ‘Unbroken’
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- Published on Wednesday, 09 October 2013 06:25
- Written by Deadline
John Magaro (Not Fade Away) has been cast in Unbroken, the true story of U.S. Olympian-turned-WWII prisoner of war Louis Zamperini which Angelina Jolie is helming for Universal. Magaro will play Frank A. Tinker, an Air Force dive bomb pilot and opera singer who befriends Zamperini en route to a Japanese POW camp. Jack O’Connell won the role of Zamperini and leads a cast that includes Garrett Hedlund and Domhnall Gleeson. The script, adapted from Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction bestseller, is by William Nicholson and Richard LaGravenese with a rewrite by Joel and Ethan Coen. Filming begins mid-October under DP Roger Deakins ahead of an already-set Christmas 2014 release. Magaro is repped by Abrams Artists and Authentic Talent and Literary Management.
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‘Gravity’ Almost Starred Angelina Jolie and Robert Downey Jr.
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- Published on Wednesday, 09 October 2013 06:26
- Written by Variety
With Warner Bros. space thriller “Gravity” earning a stellar $55.6 million at the box office, it may come as a surprise to many how differently this film could have looked had things swayed a different way when it was originally conceived; and how close it came to not happening at all.In 2006, following the critical success of “Children of Men,” Universal Pictures and director Alfonso Cuaron paired up for the expensive space epic, co-written by Cuaron’s son, but after worries began to trickle down the studio ranks as to how exactly you market a film like “Gravity,” Universal parted ways with the project.Warner Bros., which worked with Cuaron on “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” then came on board as the distributor and took a chance on a film that others were avoiding.The next positive sign that the film would was getting closer to a greenlight was Robert Downey Jr. attaching himself as the male lead in early 2010, but the pic still needed the female lead that carries most of the film. Angelina Jolie had always been eyed for the role, but a deal couldn’t be worked out and finally in summer 2010, Jolie passed, leaving the studio and Cuaron at square one.Warners tested several leading ladies and at one point was very high on Blake Lively. After working with her on “The Town,” the studio was looking at her for almost every female-driven project it had in 2010, including “Gravity,” which to several insiders at the time seemed like an odd choice given how young Lively was and the fact that the main character was suppose to have a daughter in the film too.WB eventually moved off the idea and set its sights on Natalie Portman following her Oscar win for “Black Swan,” but the actress was looking to take a much needed break (and was pregnant), leaving “Gravity” in the same state as its main character: gasping for life.
Enter Sandra Bullock.Coming off an acting hiatus herself, Bullock, who won an Oscar for 2009′s “The Blind Side,” also from WB, was looking for something that would challenge her, and top WB execs along with Cuaron and producer David Heyman saw the opportunity and moved fast to land her.Finally, “Gravity” was ready for liftoff, but there was still one more hurdle: Iron Man. Since production was forced to move because the search for the main character took so long, Downey was forced to exit the long-gestating project because of “The Avengers” and “Iron Man 3″ scheduling conflict.What would seem like a blow to most films ended up working out with George Clooney’s schedule opening up just as the film was expected to commence production. The short shoot for his character ended up working out for Clooney’s schedule and Warners signed him just in time for the first quarter shoot in 2011.In an age where films are constantly being bad-mouthed if there is any delay in development or production, “Gravity” is a case where a studio’s confidence and patience with not only the project but also the filmmaker paid off in a big way.
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Angelina Jolie Visits Kangaroo Island for 'Unbroken' Scouting!
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- Published on Wednesday, 09 October 2013 06:27
- Written by Just Jared
Angelina Jolie shows off her gorgeous smile as she walks on a dock after visiting Kangaroo Island on Wednesday (October 2) off the coast of Australia.The 38-year-old actress was reportedly scouting locations for her upcoming film Unbroken, which she is set to direct. Unbroken will be Angelina‘s second cinematic directorial venture – the first being In the Land of Blood & Honey.Angelina has been seen stepping out with double rings on her ring finger, sparking rumors that her and fiance Brad Pitt secretly tied-the-knot. These are just rumors, however, as nothing has been confirmed!
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Angelina Jolie's Double Rings Spark Secret Wedding Rumors
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- Published on Wednesday, 09 October 2013 06:27
- Written by Eonline
Has Angelina Jolie followed in the footsteps of stealthy brides Kerry Washington, Blake Lively and Zoe Saldana? Rumors are swirling that the actress has secretly tied the knot with Brad Pitt. The speculation stems from recent photos of the Jolie wearing a new ring on her wedding finger. The Maleficent star rocked the lighter band while shopping with her children in Bondi Beach, Australia, on Sunday, Sept. 29. The Oscar winner has been wearing the other gold band on her left ring finger since March.Unbroken director Jolie, 38, and Fury star Pitt, 49, announced their engagement in April 2012 after seven years of dating. The Mr. & Mrs. Smith costars have downplayed wedding talks in the press ever since. "We get a lot of pressure from the kids," he told E! News in November 2012. "We didn't realize how much it meant to them." This isn't the first time Jolie and Pitt have been the subjects of wedding rumors. The mom of six most recently shot down reports in March, flatly telling reporters her gold band is "not" a wedding ring.
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