Angelina Jolie, Jack Black: 'Kung Fu Panda 3' is a family affair
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- Published on Thursday, 28 January 2016 04:54
- Written by Today
Angelina Jolie and Jack Black aren't just A-list stars: They're parents too. So when it came time for the third installment in "Kung Fu Panda" franchise of animated family films, they decided to get their kids involved. How? "We force them!" Black said during a joint interview with Jolie for TODAY. "It's like, 'Get out there and do your job. Earn some money for this family.'"He was kidding, of course. But if you were a kid whose dad or mom were involved in such a fun franchise, wouldn't you want to be a part of it too? So for "Panda 3," four of Jolie (and Brad Pitt's) children and Black's son Samuel got small parts in the film."What I think was so sweet about it was that they took it very seriously," Jolie said. "They came in and they said, 'I don't know if I can do this!'" Black said that Samuel had asked directly if he could have a part once the third movie was announced. "I was like, 'We'll see what I can do,'" deadpanned the actor. "'I'll try to get you a line.' And I was able to pull some strings." Still, both stars have mixed feelings about getting their children into the business. Jolie said she and Pitt actively discourage acting as a first career."We've always said, if they're gonna be actors, I hope they do something and then be actors," she explained. Black says he encourages his kids to think beyond being on camera. "I try to steer 'em towards, you know, writing and directing the little things on the iPhone," he said.Still, if there are more "Panda" movies to come, the kids might have more to do down the line. Black says he thinks a trilogy is a natural way to end the series, but appeared open for more."I think there's a hunger for panda," he laughed. "People want more panda. And that's a good sign."
"Kung Fu Panda 3" opens in theaters January 28.
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Angelina Jolie looks incredibly thin in simple little black dress for solo appearance at Kung Fu Panda 3 premiere
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- Published on Sunday, 17 January 2016 13:27
- Written by Daily Mail
Angelina Jolie kept her outfit simple as she arrived for the premiere of Kung Fu Panda 3 on Saturday.The actress skipped the fancy frocks usually seen at such events in favour of a little black dress and a similarly plain pair of black court shoes.The constantly busy mother-of-six looked radiant, her clear skin and bright eyes showing no sign of tiredness.However her legs and arms looked rather incredibly thin, a sign perhaps of her hectic year.It has certainly been a grueling 12 months for Angelina, who underwent invasive surgery to remove her ovaries just last March - plunging her into an early menopause.This followed a previous mastectomy, with both surgeries undertaken to reduce her risk of contracting cancer, after she discovered she had a genetic predisposition to the disease which killed her own mother.Bravely, Angelina shared details of this with the public in an effort to increase awareness. But rather than rest up, the actress has thrown herself back into work. Indeed she has only just returned from Cambodia, where she was working on her passion project First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia. The year has also seen her do the rounds promoting her film By The Sea, which she wrote, directed and starred in - however the film disappointed at the box office.
On Saturday the actress went solo on the red carpet, with her husband Brad Pitt and their six children staying away.But she had plenty of company from her co-stars, with Lucy Liu arriving wearing a black fit and flare dress.Liu, 47, left baby son Rockwell Lloyd at home. Her first child, he was born via surrogate in August.Kate Hudson also attended, wearing a long white floral gown, with full sleeves.She brought along her sons Bingham and Ryder. Out in theatres on January 29, Kung Fu Panda 3 follows Po (Jack Black) as he reunites with his biological father (Bryan Cranston) and works to train a village of pandas to fight against an evil ancient spirit named Kai (J.K. Simmons) who is terrorizing China.The movie also features some very special cameos - from Angelina's children.Pax, 12, Zahara, 10, Shiloh, nine, and Knox, seven, all recorded animal noises for the film.'They were kind of shy,' the 40-year-old actress told Entertainment Tonight of bringing her brood into the studio.'They don't really want to be actors, but I didn't want them to miss the opportunity. They came in, and they had a lot of fun with it.'
Also voicing an animal in the movie is Black's son Sammy.'My boy actually has a voice in it,' he told E! News. 'He plays one of the bunnies.'I wish there was only one bunny so I could say, "My boy plays the bunny," but he's like one of the bunnies. There's like a thousand bunnies.'Dustin Hoffman's grandson Gus is also heard in the movie.It's not the first time Jolie's children have been involved in a Hollywood production.Her son Maddox, 14, is also helping her research for her upcoming movie in Cambodia.The actress revealed that Maddox also did a bit of work as a production assistant for her recent collaboration with husband Brad, By The Sea.Jolie also shares seven-year-old daughter Vivienne (Knox's twin) with Pitt, 52.Vivienne starred with her mum on the set of 2014's Malificent.
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Angelina Jolie's children set to feature in Kung Fu Panda 3
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- Published on Friday, 08 January 2016 05:19
- Written by Hello magazine
Could we soon be seeing another generation of Jolie-Pitts on the big screen? Angelina Jolie has revealed that four of her children will feature in the animated film Kung Fu Panda 3 after she took them to work with her one day.The mum-of-six said that while her children Pax, Zahara, Shiloh and Knox don't share their parents' passion for acting, they did get a taste of what it was like to be a movie star by providing animal noises for some of the pandas in the film."They were kind of shy," Angelina told ET. "They don't really want to be actors, but I didn't want them to miss the opportunity. They came in, and they had a lot of fun with it."It is not the first time Angelina and Brad Pitt's children have made on-screen appearances; their youngest daughter Vivienne played a young Aurora in Maleficent, while Zahara and Pax had small walk-on roles.Their eldest son Maddox Jolie-Pitt has also been helping his mother with her work behind the camera, as he has been recruited to assist with production on her upcoming adaptation of First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers – the memoir of Cambodian human rights activist Loung Ung about surviving the Khmer Rouge regime.Angelina has also worked with her husband Brad on two occasions, most recently in By the Sea, which the actress also directed. While some friends advised them not to work together again following their wedding, Brad has since admitted he doesn't mind his wife calling the shots."It's surprising how much I enjoy the direction of my wife," Brad told V magazine. "She's decisive, incredibly intuitive, and might I say sexy at her post. I trust her with my life."
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‘Bride of Frankenstein’ Reboot to Be Written by David Koepp
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- Published on Saturday, 19 December 2015 12:58
- Written by Variety
David Koepp will write Universal’s remake of “Bride of Frankenstein” as the studio continues to make strides in forming its new monster universe.The film is part of the studio’s endeavor to expand and unify a network of classic monsters led by narrative architects Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan.Like so many of its current monster movies, plot details are under wraps. “Bride of Frankenstein” is set in the present day in order for the film’s characters to have cross-over capabilities with other monster movies.Universal’s exec VP of production, Jon Mone, and VP of production, Jay Polidoro, will oversee the project for the studio.Sources tells Variety that Universal wants to offer Angelina Jolie Pitt directing and starring gigs in “Bride of Frankenstein.” The studio has had their eye on Jolie Pitt for some time, but she will remain undecided on whether she takes on the project until a script is delivered.Koepp’s relationship with Universal dates back to the 1990s when the studio assigned him the job of penning the first “Jurassic Park.” He has helped launched other major franchises since then, including “Mission: Impossible” and “Spider-Man” with Tobey Maguire.Koepp most recently penned the next Robert Langdon pic, “Inferno,” which bows next fall with Tom Hanks returning to star as Langdon. He is repped by CAA, and Myman Greenspan Fineman Fox Rosenberg & Light LLP.
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Angelina Jolie finds inspiration in Cambodia
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- Published on Monday, 07 December 2015 11:44
- Written by AA
'I think we’ve all been affected by art,' she says. 'Some piece of music, film, story, has directed our life and the way we live our life -- every single person.' Hollywood star Angelina Jolie-Pitt is further cementing her ties with Cambodia -- directing a feature length film based on Loung Ung's harrowing memoir of the Khmer Rouge genocide, in which two million people were killed. Jolie-Pitt, who with husband Brad Pitt adopted her eldest child Maddox from the Southeast Asian nation, filmed Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in Cambodia in 2001 and also serves as president of the Honorary Committee of the Cambodia International Film Festival.On Saturday, she told a Phnom Penh audience how grateful she was to be working again in the country, calling it the "greatest experience" of her film career.Speaking to several hundred people at the Chaktomuk Theatre on a steamy late afternoon, Jolie-Pitt -- who is in the middle of directing First They Killed My Father -- spoke candidly during a panel discussion, which also featured veteran Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh and two younger Cambodian filmmakers."I'm fortunate in that I love what I do, my children are healthy and I'm blessed to be able to tell stories and I'm having the greatest experience I've ever had on a film, being able to work on something I care so deeply about, and also because of my husband, who's over there," she said, pointing to Hollywood actor Brad Pitt who was seated at the back of the auditorium.But Jolie-Pitt -- clad in a black top and skirt -- also spoke with great conviction about the importance of art and culture in post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia, saying she believed the country has developed an impressive archive of documentaries and feature films.Given that the ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge were intent on ridding Cambodia of much of its cultural heritage -- from poets to singers, actors and artists -- "I think that says everything about art and culture" and its importance, Jolie-Pitt said."I think we've all been affected by art," she added. "Some piece of music, film, story, has directed our life and the way we live our life -- every single person."
Jolie-Pitt has a 1,000-strong Cambodian crew working on her film, and praised their professionalism during the talk."It's a dream," she said of being able to work in Cambodia again. Outside of her work as a Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Jolie-Pitt has spoken in depth about the effects of landmines in Cambodia and also brought added appeal to Cambodia's pre-Angkorian temple of Ta Prohm, which featured prominently the Lara Croft 2001 blockbuster."I had a very different artistic experience then, because I was acting, but I've spent over a decade working and coming back and forth and wanted so much to really be here and to make a film about this country, the history, and not about war, but about the resilience, the strength and family."First They Killed My Father is a memoir written by Loung Ung, which recounts her and her family's experiences under the Khmer Rouge.Jolie said making the film has been important to her for a number of reasons, not least because she wants her oldest son Maddox, whom she adopted in Cambodia in 2002, to learn "about his country".The six-day Cambodia International Film Festival opened Friday.First They Killed My Father will be released in English and Khmer next year, and submitted to major film festivals around the world.Pitt and Jolie-Pitt are parents to six children: Maddox, 14; Pax, 11; Zahara, 10; Shiloh, 9; and twins Vivienne and Knox, 7.
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