Tracking Shot April 2012: Gondry, Van Sant, Joon-ho and Soderbergh Filming New Projects

“Tracking Shot” is a monthly featurette here on IONCINEMA.com that looks at a dozen or so projects that are moments away from lensing (or already have Day 1 under their belts) and that we feel are worth signaling out. This April, we’ve almost got a baker’s dozen worth of items that we’ll surely be tracking until their eventual fest and theatrical releases.

After about two years of stalling – David M. Rosenthal finally gets the greenlight for “A Single Shot,” which is toplined by Sam Rockwell and includes tech help from cinematographer Eduard Grau (A Single Man). In NYC, we’ve got one of Steven Soderbergh’s retirement projects in “The Bitter Pill,” (see Rooney Mara above). Also in NYC, John Turturro will do a smallish indie project backed by the French in, “Fading Gigolo” and also pulling double duty both behind and in front of the camera Ralph Fiennes works from an Abi Morgan screenplay, directs, will play Charles Dickens and gets to co-star with The English Patient’s Kristin Scott Thomas in “The Invisible Woman.”

In Los Angeles we have indie film sophomore effort from script supervisor turned occasional TV director who is working from a Neil LaBute screenplay/off-Broadway play. Jennifer Getzinger directs Kristen Bell in Some Girl(s), her character looks back at the carnage created by one man — he broke up with a string of ladies to have writing material. Focus Features finally get into gear with the Making of Psycho – Sacha Gervasi will direct the long awaited “Hitchcock,” with James D’Arcy playing Anthony Perkins and Hopkins taking on Hitch.

From Mexico, Diego Luna will once again go behind the camera (he most recently directed, Abel) for a biography on the civil-rights activist and labor organizer Cesar Chavez – pic is simply called Chavez. From New Mexico, Calvin Lee Reeder adapts from his short film The Rambler – Dermot Mulroney and Reeder regular Lindsay Pulsipher are on board. Bong Joon-ho finally begins working on Snowpiercer – a film we easily see making a presence at next year’s Cannes – which could also be the lieu for Gus Van Sant’s reunion film (Promised Land) with Gerry’s Matt Damon.

A menage a trois that continues beyond one’s death – we’ll be treated to 17th century France revenge pic of sorts adapted from Charlie Stratton’s stage play (this happens to be his directing debut). Distributor is already in place for Therese: Liddell Entertainment distributes a second Elizabeth Olsen film (after Silent House).

A pair of French filmmakers are switching from their comfort languages. Gondry is going French with Mood Indigo and a huge cast including Audrey Tautou, Romain Duris and the extremely popular Omar Sy, while the James Gray co-scripted  France-U.S production of Blood Ties sets up Guillaume Canet in English with a great ensemble which includes the Jacques Audiard’s pairing of Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts. And if you want proof that Crazy Heart gave its director a ton of clout, look what kind of cast Scott Cooper will end up with Out of the Furnace. Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson, Forest Whitaker and Sam Shepard are all signed up.

A Single Shot
Director: David M. Rosenthal
Screenwriter: Matthew F. Jones
Cast: Jason Isaacs, Sam Rockwell, William H. Macy, Joe Anderson, Kelly Reilly, Ted Levine, Melissa Leo, Jeffrey Wright and Ophelia Lovibond.
Crew: DP: Eduard Grau, Production Designer: David Brisbin. Editor: Dan Robinson
Producers: Unanimous Pictures’ Chris Coen, Aaron L. Gilbert, Keith Kjarval and Jeff Rice
Filming in Vancouver B.C.

The Bitter Pill
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Screenwriter: Scott Z. Burns
Cast: Channing Tatum, Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Vinessa Shaw
Producers: Scott Z. Burns, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Gregory Jacobs
Filming in New York City.

Blood Ties
Director: Guillaume Canet
Screenwriter: Canet and James Gray
Cast: Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldana, Matthias Schoenaerts, Noah Emmerich, Lili Taylor, Domenick Lombardozzi and James Caan.
Crew: DP: Christophe Offenstein, Production Designer: Ford Wheeler.
Producers: Worldview Entertainment’s Christopher Woodrow, Les Productions du Trésor’s Alain Attal and Hugo Selignac, Le Grisbi Productions’ John Lesher.
Filming in New York.

Chavez
Director: Diego Luna
Screenwriter: Keir Pearson (Hotel Rwanda)
Cast: Rosario Dawson, America Ferrera and Michael Peña as Cesar E. Chavez
Producers: Mr. Mudd’s Russell Smith, Lianne Halfon and John Malkovich, Canana Films’ Gael García Bernal and Luna, Pablo Cruz
Filming in Sonora, Mexico.

Fading Gigolo
Director/Screenwriter: John Turturro
Cast: Sofía Vergara, Woody Allen, Sharon Stone and Turturro
Producers: Antidote Films’ Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and MK2 Productions.
Filming in New York City.

Hitchcock
Director: Sacha Gervasi
Screenwriter: Stephen Rebello and John J. McLaughlin
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Anthony Hopkins, Danny Huston, Helen Mirren, Toni Collette, Kurtwood Smith, Michael Wincott, Michael Stuhlbarg and James D’Arcy as Anthony Perkins.
Crew: DP: Jeff Cronenweth. Production Designer: Judy Becker.
Producers: Alan Barnette with Cold Spring Pictures’ Joe Medjuck, Tom Pollock and Ivan Reitman, Tom Thayer
Filming in Los Angeles.

The Invisible Woman
Director: Ralph Fiennes
Screenwriter: Abi Morgan
Cast: Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Hollander and Fiennes as Charles Dickens
Crew: DP: Rob Hardy. Editor: Nicolas Gaster. Production Designer: Maria Djurkovic
Producers: Christian Baute, Headline Pictures’ Stewart Mackinnon, Magnolia Mae Films’ Carolyn Marks Blackwood and Gabrielle Tana
Filming in London.

Mood Indigo (L’Ecume des Jours)
Director: Michel Gondry
Screenwriter: Laurent Turner
Cast: Audrey Tautou, Omar Sy, Romain Duris, Gad Elmaleh, Jamel Debbouze, Alain Chabat, Vincent Lindon and Jean-Pierre Darroussin
Crew: DP: Christophe Beaucarne. Production Designer: Stéphane Rosenbaum
Producers: Brio Films’ Luc Bossi
Filming in Paris, France and Belgium.

Out of the Furnace
Director/Screenwriter: Scott Cooper
Cast: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson, Forest Whitaker and Sam Shepard
Crew: DP: Masanobu Takayanagi, Prod. Designer: Thérèse DePrez, Editor David Rosenbloom
Producers: Appian Way’s Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Killoran, Scott Free’s Ridley and Tony Scott and Michael Costigan with Relativity’s CEO Ryan Kavanaugh
Filming in Pennsylvania.

Promised Land
Director: Gus Van Sant
Screenwriter: Matt Damon and John Krasinski (based on the idea from Dave Eggers)
Cast: Matt Damon, John Krasinski, Frances McDormand, Rosemarie DeWitt, Hal Holbrook and Scoot McNairy
Crew: DP: Linus Sandgren. Production Designer: Daniel B. Clancy.
Producer: Chris Moore
Filming: TBA.

The Rambler
Director/Screenwriter: Calvin Lee Reeder
Cast: Dermot Mulroney and Lindsay Pulsipher
Crew: DP: Dave McFarland. Production Designer: Geoff Flint
Producers: XYZ Films’ Nate Bolotin and Brooklyn Reptyle Films’ Roger M. Mayer and Christo Dimassis
Filming in Roswell, New Mexico

Snowpiercer
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Screenwriter: Joon-ho and Kelly Masterson
Cast: Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Alison Pill, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer and Ewen Bremner
Crew: DP: Kyung-Pyo Hong, Production Designer: Ondrej Nekvasil
Producers: Tae-hun Lee and Park Chan-wook
Filming in Prague, Czech Republic.

Some Girl(s)
Director: Jennifer Getzinger
Screenwriter: Neil LaBute
Cast: Jennifer Morrison, Kristen Bell, Emily Watson, Adam Brody, Mía Maestro and Zoe Kazan
Crew: DP: Rachel Morrison. Production Designer: Maya Sigel.
Producers: LaBute, Andrew Carlberg, Chris Schwartz, Patty West
Filming in Los Angeles.

Therese
Director/Screenwriter: Charlie Stratton
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Felton, Jessica Lange, Oscar Isaac, Shirley Henderson, Mackenzie Crook and Matt Lucas.
Crew: DP: Florian Hoffmeister. Production Designer: Uli Hanisch. Editor: Paul Tothill
Producers: William Horberg and Mickey Liddell
Filming in TBA.