A month ago it was reported Nicole was to join a new film called The Paperboy, and today it is official, as we have the first photos of her on the set! Nicole was photographed on the set in New Orleans yesterday, wearing a green waitress-style dress with bleached blonde hair. She looks so different, and I have to say that just these photos of her makes me even more intrigued about this film!
The film plot reads as follows:
Paperboy centers on a reporter and his brother who investigate the events surrounding a murder in order to exonerate a man on death row. Kidman will play a woman with a dark side who writes letters to men on death row. She brings the case to the attention of the reporter, developing a relationship with him.
Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron also star. Since the first news of Nicole’s involvement broke, there have been a few cast changes – John Cusack has replaced Tobey Maguire as the condemned prisoner, director Lee Daniels has cast singer Maxwell in a role, and British actor David Oyelowo has also come on board. Read those articles below, as well as some interesting information on Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s involvement. Big big thanks to our wonderful forum member ‘thehours_fan’ for pointing me to these updates.
• The Paperboy > On The Set – August 1st 2011 x8
John Cusack delivered to ‘Paperboy’
July 11thJohn Cusack is set to co-star in Lee Daniels’ “The Paperboy,” an indie drama that marks the helmer’s follow-up to “Precious.”
Ensemble pic stars Zac Efron, while Nicole Kidman and Matthew McConaughey are also in advanced negotiations for key roles.
Cusack replaces Tobey Maguire, who was forced to drop out of the project when its shooting schedule conflicted with his dates on “The Great Gatsby.”
Based on the 1995 novel by Pete Dexter, Florida-set period pic finds two brothers, a reporter and a college dropout, teaming up to investigate a possible miscarriage of justice surrounding a death row inmate convicted of killing the local sheriff.
Cusack will play the condemned prisoner, while Kidman will play a woman with a dark side who writes letters to men on death row.
Daniels is producing along with Hilary Shor. Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Danny Dimbort and Cassian Elwes exec produce, while Millennium/Nu Image is handling foreign sales.
Cusack recently wrapped the indie comedy “Dictablanda,” which he also co-wrote and produced through his New Crime Prods. banner. Thesp will soon be seen playing Edgar Allan Poe in James McTeigue’s “The Raven,” which Relativity Media opens March 9, 2012.
Cusack is repped by CAA.
- Variety
John Cusack To Replace Tobey Maguire In Lee Daniels’ ‘The Paperboy’
July 12thIt’s not too long since we last lamented the state of John Cusack‘s career: long one of our favorite actors, the decade or so since “High Fidelity” has seen at best, enjoyable-but-flawed movies like “Runaway Jury,” “The Ice Harvest” or “1408,” through to films that were barely released, like “Grace Is Gone” and “The Contract,” to, at worst, pictures that were never released, like “Shanghai” and serial killer thriller “The Factory,” both shot in 2008, and still sitting on the shelf. But signs are good for a comeback: he’s playing Edgar Allan Poe in next year’s period thriller “The Raven,” he’s written another dark comedy the Latin American satire “Dictablanda,” and now, he’s signing on to a big production with a hefty pedigree.
It was announced in May that Lee Daniels, director of the Oscar-nominated “Precious,” would be following up that film with “The Paperboy,” a crime movie adapting the best-seller by Pete Dexter. A 1960s-era thriller, set in Florida, it involves Ward James, a respected journalist and his brother Jack, a college dropout, investigating the possible wrongful conviction of a death row inmate who was convicted of killing the town’s sheriff. It was best known previously as the possible English-language debut of Pedro Almodovar, who developed the film for a decade.
Daniels took over earlier in the year, and eyed Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron as Ward and Jack, with Tobey Maguire and Sofia Vergara lined up for other parts, but the latter two were forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, Maguire with “The Great Gatsby,” Vergara with her TV hit “Modern Family.” But Daniels hasn’t wasted much time, with Nicole Kidman circling Vergara’s role of Charlotte Bless, a woman who writes to prison inmates, and now Variety reports that John Cusack has signed on to replace Maguire on the project.
Cusack will play Hillary Van Wetter, the convicted inmate, and it certainly seems like a change of pace for the actor, which can only be a good thing. Interestingly, the draft of the script we have, dated the end of April, credits both Daniels and Almodovar with revisions, suggesting that the baby hasn’t been thrown out with the bathwater, and that some of the great Spanish director’s influence may remain on the project.
Like Cusack, Kidman and McConaughey are showing signs of pulling out of a slump, the former winning an Oscar nomination for “Rabbit Hole,” the latter starring in the pleasantly surprising “The Lincoln Lawyer” and shunning dreadful rom-coms to work with Richard Linklater and William Friedkin: between them and Efron, who needs to prove himself as an adult lead, it’s a cast with something to prove, and that could add up to something interesting. While we were no great fans of “Precious,” it did at least showcase that Daniels has a way with actors, and if he can rein in his worst directorial excesses, this could be one to keep an eye on.
R&B Singer Maxwell Joins Lee Daniels’ ‘The Paperboy’
July 13thWe suppose this was bound to happen. With Lee Daniels riding the waves of ups and downs in casting his next effort, “The Paperboy,” he has firmed up a pretty solid line-up including John Cusack, Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron with Nicole Kidman circling a role. But it looks like he just has to have a singer in his movie, and like Lenny Kravitz in “Precious” (who was actually pretty good), a smoooooooth dude is coming on board.
R&B singer Maxwell is going to be bringing his dapper good looks (and maybe his soulful croon?) to “The Paperboy.” A crime movie based on the best-selling novel by Pete Dexter, the 1960s-era thriller, involves Ward James, a respected journalist and his brother Jack, a college dropout, investigating the possible wrongful conviction of a death row inmate who was convicted of killing the town’s sheriff in Florida. If that isn’t enough to get your attention perhaps this is: the project was best known previously as the possible English-language debut of Pedro Almodóvar, who developed the film for a decade. Even better, the script apparently credits both Daniels and Almodóvar, meaning that the latter’s stamp may still be felt. The big question for us is if the shocking and depressing ending (which we won’t spoil here) of the novel will remain intact in the big screen incarnation.
There’s no word yet on who Maxwell will play, but he’ll certainly have a solid cast around to guide him in his second big screen appearance (he made his debut a decade ago in the film “Dead Dog”). And while we weren’t the biggest fans of “Precious,” Daniels undoubtedly got a phenomenal performance out of Mo’Nique and also got smaller, solid turns from the aforementioned Kravitz and Mariah Carey, who was truly surprising as the tough-as-nails social worker. So we’re willing to give this casting a shot.
David Oyelowo Joins Lee Daniels’ ‘The Paperboy’
July 28thLast year, it looked like rising British stage actor David Oyelowo was about to get the biggest break of his career, taking on the pivotal role of Martin Luther King Jr. in Lee Daniels’ “Selma.” But as things unfortunately go sometimes, the project—which would have found the thesp hanging out with dudes like Hugh Jackman, Liam Neeson, Ray Winstone, Robert De Niro, and Cedric the Entertainer—was scuttled. Oyelowo rebounded well enough, and has roles in “The Help,” “Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes” and “Red Tails” around the corner, but Daniels hasn’t forgotten about him.
The director has cast Oyelowo in his brewing adaptation of Pete Dexter‘s “The Paperboy.” The film, which has had its own share of adventures thus far—losing Tobey Maguire and Sofia Vergara and gaining John Cusack and possibly Nicole Kidman—is a 1960s-era thriller that follows Ward James, a respected journalist, and his brother Jack, a college dropout, investigating the possible wrongful conviction of a death row inmate who was found guilty of killing the town’s sheriff in Florida. Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron are also set to star with R&B singer Maxwell also said to be taking a role as well. Oyelowo will play Yardley, who teams with Ward James—played by McConaughey—for the investigation.
Deadline offers up a mind boggling bit of info in addition to this casting. Apparently, while the Martin Luther King estate wasn’t going to give their stamp of approval to “Selma” due to its references to the civil rights leader’s infidelities, the film had financing in place from The Weinstein Company before Daniels himself opted not make the film and do “The Paperboy” instead. What could have been…