In 2016, George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road made a big splash at the Oscars claiming six Academy Awards from the astonishing 10 nominations. Starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, the 2015 movie is undoubtedly a post-apocalyptic masterpiece. But it was the fruition of the decades-long patience of Miller.
Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road
The casting, in particular, had been quite a long process, and inherently, the movie was far from being instantaneous. To begin with, it was nearly unimaginable to have any other actor playing Max after Mel Gibson elevated the character to an epic height in the Miller-directed 1979 movie, Mad Max.
The Temptation of Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron Casting In Mad Max: Fury Road Caused An Accident Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road
Before George Miller, casting director Ronna Kress, and Warner Brothers agreed to move forward with Mad Max: Fury Road...
Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road
The casting, in particular, had been quite a long process, and inherently, the movie was far from being instantaneous. To begin with, it was nearly unimaginable to have any other actor playing Max after Mel Gibson elevated the character to an epic height in the Miller-directed 1979 movie, Mad Max.
The Temptation of Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron Casting In Mad Max: Fury Road Caused An Accident Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road
Before George Miller, casting director Ronna Kress, and Warner Brothers agreed to move forward with Mad Max: Fury Road...
- 4/16/2024
- by Lachit Roy
- FandomWire
“I’m so excited about the show,” says Ronna Kress, the casting director of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” on Apple TV+. “We worked so hard and did such a huge, worldwide search for almost five months.” She spoke with Gold Derby’s Latasha Ford backstage during the launch event at the DGA Theater in Hollywood this month. Watch the full video interview above.
Kress explains the unlikely casting of Ren Watabe as Kentaro, stating, “We needed an actor who we really wanted to follow through the series. Someone who was believable in the Japanese world, but also could speak English for the English-speaking world as well. He really came out of nowhere. In his audition, the first time that we saw him, our casting director in Tokyo introduced us to him. He said, ‘I’m really tired, I’m sorry.’ We said, ‘What were you working on last night?’ And he’s a line cook.
Kress explains the unlikely casting of Ren Watabe as Kentaro, stating, “We needed an actor who we really wanted to follow through the series. Someone who was believable in the Japanese world, but also could speak English for the English-speaking world as well. He really came out of nowhere. In his audition, the first time that we saw him, our casting director in Tokyo introduced us to him. He said, ‘I’m really tired, I’m sorry.’ We said, ‘What were you working on last night?’ And he’s a line cook.
- 11/15/2023
- by Denton Davidson and Latasha Ford
- Gold Derby
“We’ve been working on this project for a long time,” reveals Chris Black, the showrunner/executive producer of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” on Apple TV+. This highly anticipated television series in the MonsterVerse franchise has been “a lot of effort,” he tells us, with “a lot of people pouring their talent and passion into something, and now we’re getting it out here for people to see, so we’re really excited.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
Other than his past collaboration with composer Leopold Ross, most of the behind-the-scenes talents on “Monarch” are new to Black’s world. “Part of the fun of a project like this is being introduced to new talented people that you haven’t worked with before,” he begins, “and having our team at the studio, at Legendary, at Apple bringing people into my circle.”
Black adds, “We just had an amazing team.
Other than his past collaboration with composer Leopold Ross, most of the behind-the-scenes talents on “Monarch” are new to Black’s world. “Part of the fun of a project like this is being introduced to new talented people that you haven’t worked with before,” he begins, “and having our team at the studio, at Legendary, at Apple bringing people into my circle.”
Black adds, “We just had an amazing team.
- 11/9/2023
- by Marcus James Dixon and Latasha Ford
- Gold Derby
Monday night at the DGA Theatre in Hollywood, Apple TV+ unveiled its long-gestating MonsterVerse project, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” to a packed crowd of excited guild voters. Following a screening of the first episode, which will debut on the streaming service on November 17, Gold Derby’s Chris Beachum moderated a panel with showrunner/executive producer Chris Black, casting director Ronna Kress, visual effects supervisor Sean Konrad, sound designer Ben Cook and composer Leopold Ross.
The “Monarch” production team discusses what it was like waiting for the fans to finally see the series, their biggest challenges with the project, and what it was like working with A-list stars like Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell and John Goodman (who reprises his role from 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island”). Read excepts below from the “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” roundtable panel.
See‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ trailer: Apple’s Godzilla series with Kurt Russell debuts this fall [Watch]
Black recalls,...
The “Monarch” production team discusses what it was like waiting for the fans to finally see the series, their biggest challenges with the project, and what it was like working with A-list stars like Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell and John Goodman (who reprises his role from 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island”). Read excepts below from the “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” roundtable panel.
See‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ trailer: Apple’s Godzilla series with Kurt Russell debuts this fall [Watch]
Black recalls,...
- 11/7/2023
- by Marcus James Dixon and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
On Friday at New York Comic Con, Apple TV+ and the creative team behind “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” unveiled the trailer for the highly anticipated series, and shared a preview of the expansive new series, based on Legendary’s Monsterverse. Starring Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” premieres globally with the first two episodes on Friday, November 17 on Apple TV+, followed by one episode every Friday through January 12.
“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” executive producers Chris Black and Matt Fraction, executive producer Tory Tunnell, executive producer and director Andy Goddard, casting director Ronna Kress and VFX supervisor Sean Konrad came together for the special conversation and screening at New York Comic Con, moderated by entertainment journalist Scott Mantz.
Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco, and the shocking revelation that monsters are real,...
“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” executive producers Chris Black and Matt Fraction, executive producer Tory Tunnell, executive producer and director Andy Goddard, casting director Ronna Kress and VFX supervisor Sean Konrad came together for the special conversation and screening at New York Comic Con, moderated by entertainment journalist Scott Mantz.
Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco, and the shocking revelation that monsters are real,...
- 10/14/2023
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Producer of “Something From Tiffany’s” Lauren Neustadter credits costars Kendrick Sampson (“Insecure”) and Zoey Deutch, as well as casting director Ronna Kress, with transforming the story of the film, adapted from Melissa Hill’s book that came out over a decade ago.
“I read it when it was in galley [advanced, not finished format] and it’s a delightful book with an A+ movie premise. I immediately gravitated towards the premise of the book,” Neustadter told TheWrap in a recent interview. “I thought the characters were incredibly charming, but it wasn’t the kind of thing where there was a lot of specificity around the roles and the backgrounds of each of the characters. It was written in a bit of a different moment in time, and so we were imagining the script now, and we were imagining making the movie now. It was just something that I think we wanted to make sure that we were incredibly inclusive.
“I read it when it was in galley [advanced, not finished format] and it’s a delightful book with an A+ movie premise. I immediately gravitated towards the premise of the book,” Neustadter told TheWrap in a recent interview. “I thought the characters were incredibly charming, but it wasn’t the kind of thing where there was a lot of specificity around the roles and the backgrounds of each of the characters. It was written in a bit of a different moment in time, and so we were imagining the script now, and we were imagining making the movie now. It was just something that I think we wanted to make sure that we were incredibly inclusive.
- 12/16/2022
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron’s onscreen chemistry sizzles in “Mad Max: Fury Road,” but what is it like to experience that chemistry in person? For “Fury Road” casting director Ronna Kress, the answer is downright overwhelming. As part of Kyle Buchanan’s upcoming oral history book “Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road,” Kress revealed that she crashed her car after staring at the “intense” chemistry between Hardy and Theron for the first time.
“The truth of it is that we didn’t end up casting Tom until we had Tom and Charlize together,” Kress said. “At that point, [director George Miller] had gone back to Australia, and we did a video-conference call at Warner Bros. with George so he could talk to Tom and Charlize, because it was really important for him to see them together. Once we saw them, we just knew.
“The truth of it is that we didn’t end up casting Tom until we had Tom and Charlize together,” Kress said. “At that point, [director George Miller] had gone back to Australia, and we did a video-conference call at Warner Bros. with George so he could talk to Tom and Charlize, because it was really important for him to see them together. Once we saw them, we just knew.
- 2/10/2022
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
The path to “Fury Road” is paved with off-the-charts sexual chemistry.
While casting “Mad Max: Fury Road” took years, casting director Ronna Kress knew that Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy were the perfect actors to play Furiosa and Mad Max, respectively.
Despite Hardy wowing in his audition — and beating out other actors like Michael Fassbender, Armie Hammer, Jeremy Renner, and even Eminem — Kress admitted that Hardy was not hired until she and director George Miller could witness a table read opposite Theron.
“We did a video-conference call at Warner Bros. with George so he could talk to Tom and Charlize, because it was really important for him to see them together,” Kress told New York Times writer Kyle Buchanan for his new book, “Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,’” which he excerpted on Thursday on Twitter (see below). “Once we saw them, we just knew.
While casting “Mad Max: Fury Road” took years, casting director Ronna Kress knew that Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy were the perfect actors to play Furiosa and Mad Max, respectively.
Despite Hardy wowing in his audition — and beating out other actors like Michael Fassbender, Armie Hammer, Jeremy Renner, and even Eminem — Kress admitted that Hardy was not hired until she and director George Miller could witness a table read opposite Theron.
“We did a video-conference call at Warner Bros. with George so he could talk to Tom and Charlize, because it was really important for him to see them together,” Kress told New York Times writer Kyle Buchanan for his new book, “Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,’” which he excerpted on Thursday on Twitter (see below). “Once we saw them, we just knew.
- 2/10/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Another Eminem and Rihanna project? We’re here for it.
The respective Grammy winners were almost cast in “Mad Max: Fury Road,” according to New York Times writer Kyle Buchanan’s book, “Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,'” now excerpted in Vulture.
Director George Miller and casting director Ronna Kress auditioned a slew of rising Hollywood talent for the 2015 prequel film.
“The whole process of casting Max took close to a year,” Kress said in the excerpt. “We were talking about every actor in the world, essentially, and having very in-depth conversations about the benefits of someone famous or someone unknown in the role of Mad Max.”
Michael Fassbender, Joel Kinnaman, Eric Bana, Jeremy Renner, and Armie Hammer were all shortlisted for the titular role of Max, which Mel Gibson originally portrayed in “Mad Max” trilogy starting in 1979.
Production and development executive...
The respective Grammy winners were almost cast in “Mad Max: Fury Road,” according to New York Times writer Kyle Buchanan’s book, “Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,'” now excerpted in Vulture.
Director George Miller and casting director Ronna Kress auditioned a slew of rising Hollywood talent for the 2015 prequel film.
“The whole process of casting Max took close to a year,” Kress said in the excerpt. “We were talking about every actor in the world, essentially, and having very in-depth conversations about the benefits of someone famous or someone unknown in the role of Mad Max.”
Michael Fassbender, Joel Kinnaman, Eric Bana, Jeremy Renner, and Armie Hammer were all shortlisted for the titular role of Max, which Mel Gibson originally portrayed in “Mad Max” trilogy starting in 1979.
Production and development executive...
- 2/9/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Ronna Kress has left her role as executive vp casting at Fox Film, a source with knowledge told The Hollywood Reporter.
Kress, who had been in the position since June 2016, was notified in December that her contract would not be renewed and left the company. Her replacement has not yet been announced.
With a career spanning three decades, Kress was the casting director on films such as 2001's Moulin Rouge!, 2003's Cold Mountain, 2009's The Blind Side and 2014's The Fault in Our Stars. In her role at Fox, she oversaw casting for recent films such as ...
Kress, who had been in the position since June 2016, was notified in December that her contract would not be renewed and left the company. Her replacement has not yet been announced.
With a career spanning three decades, Kress was the casting director on films such as 2001's Moulin Rouge!, 2003's Cold Mountain, 2009's The Blind Side and 2014's The Fault in Our Stars. In her role at Fox, she oversaw casting for recent films such as ...
Ronna Kress has left her role as executive vp casting at Fox Film, a source with knowledge told The Hollywood Reporter.
Kress, who had been in the position since June 2016, was notified in December that her contract would not be renewed and left the company. Her replacement has not yet been announced.
With a career spanning three decades, Kress was the casting director on films such as 2001's Moulin Rouge!, 2003's Cold Mountain, 2009's The Blind Side and 2014's The Fault in Our Stars. In her role at Fox, she oversaw casting for recent films such as ...
Kress, who had been in the position since June 2016, was notified in December that her contract would not be renewed and left the company. Her replacement has not yet been announced.
With a career spanning three decades, Kress was the casting director on films such as 2001's Moulin Rouge!, 2003's Cold Mountain, 2009's The Blind Side and 2014's The Fault in Our Stars. In her role at Fox, she oversaw casting for recent films such as ...
20th Century Fox recently revved up their Oscar campaign for “Ford v Ferrari” with a panel discussion highlighting the film’s below-the-line talent. Gold Derby was on-hand at the event, which was hosted by Gregory Ellwood (The Playlist) at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles. It featured director James Mangold, production designer Francois Audouy, costume designer Daniel Orlandi, film editors Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker, composer Buck Sanders, sound re-recording mixer David Giammarco and casting director Ronna Kress. Listen to the full 28 minute Q&a above.
“Ford v Ferrari” tells the true story of the Ford Motor Company’s efforts to build a race car that could challenge champion Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 1966. Matt Damon stars as auto designer Carroll Shelby, who teams up with expert racer Ken Miles (Christian Bale) to create the superior machine. By his own admission, Mangold is “not a big motor sports guy,...
“Ford v Ferrari” tells the true story of the Ford Motor Company’s efforts to build a race car that could challenge champion Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 1966. Matt Damon stars as auto designer Carroll Shelby, who teams up with expert racer Ken Miles (Christian Bale) to create the superior machine. By his own admission, Mangold is “not a big motor sports guy,...
- 10/25/2019
- by Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
Get your tissues ready!
Australian-born actor Mojean Aria brought the house to tears while accepting the 9th Annual Heath Ledger Scholarship on June 1 at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, California. The award, which was funded by Ledger’s family in 2001, honors emerging talent from Australia.
Watch: 'I Am Heath Ledger' Documentary -- Watch the Emotionally Charged First Trailer
“I want the burden and responsibility to represent Heath Ledger,” Aria began his speech. “This really is a full circle moment for me.”
“I met Heath Ledger when I was about 12 years old. It was at a screening in Sydney at Fox Studios,” he continued. “I remember sitting at a theater and Heath came out to a Q&A. And, I had no idea about anything then. I remember his energy. I didn’t know anyone that was like that, anyone that was that open. I think about that moment because as Heath’s career...
Australian-born actor Mojean Aria brought the house to tears while accepting the 9th Annual Heath Ledger Scholarship on June 1 at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, California. The award, which was funded by Ledger’s family in 2001, honors emerging talent from Australia.
Watch: 'I Am Heath Ledger' Documentary -- Watch the Emotionally Charged First Trailer
“I want the burden and responsibility to represent Heath Ledger,” Aria began his speech. “This really is a full circle moment for me.”
“I met Heath Ledger when I was about 12 years old. It was at a screening in Sydney at Fox Studios,” he continued. “I remember sitting at a theater and Heath came out to a Q&A. And, I had no idea about anything then. I remember his energy. I didn’t know anyone that was like that, anyone that was that open. I think about that moment because as Heath’s career...
- 6/8/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Mojean Aria..
Mojean Aria is this year.s recipient of the Heath Ledger Scholarship.
The Sydney-born, La-based actor, who recently starred in.The Bronx Bull, had been shortlisted for the award twice before this year.s win..
.Heath is such a huge inspiration for all of us actors and so many people looked up to him. Just to be connected with Heath Ledger and being able to have this platform, it is a dream come true.".
Carrie and Boys Don.t Cry director Kimberly Peirce, who served on the judges. panel, praised Aria.s work as .rich, nuanced, precise, beautiful, authentic, emotive and fierce..
.I hope the scholarship provides him the necessary support and tools to explore his talent and interests, develop his craft and further his career here in Hollywood and wherever it takes him..
Other judges included industry heavyweights inclduing Naomi Watts, Ryan Murphy, Gary Oldman, Bruna Papandrea,...
Mojean Aria is this year.s recipient of the Heath Ledger Scholarship.
The Sydney-born, La-based actor, who recently starred in.The Bronx Bull, had been shortlisted for the award twice before this year.s win..
.Heath is such a huge inspiration for all of us actors and so many people looked up to him. Just to be connected with Heath Ledger and being able to have this platform, it is a dream come true.".
Carrie and Boys Don.t Cry director Kimberly Peirce, who served on the judges. panel, praised Aria.s work as .rich, nuanced, precise, beautiful, authentic, emotive and fierce..
.I hope the scholarship provides him the necessary support and tools to explore his talent and interests, develop his craft and further his career here in Hollywood and wherever it takes him..
Other judges included industry heavyweights inclduing Naomi Watts, Ryan Murphy, Gary Oldman, Bruna Papandrea,...
- 6/2/2017
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
Yesi Ramirez, a casting director on Oscar Best Picture winner Moonlight, has been named VP Feature Casting at 20th Century Fox Film. The 14-year veteran will report to Evp Feature Casting Ronna Kress and she starts today. Her credits include Fox broadcast’s Liz Meriwether single-camera comedy pilot Thin Ice starring Bridgit Mendler, the SXSW pic Gemini which was just acquired by Neon, and the indie drama Vandal which is wrapping production. Ramirez won the Artios Award…...
- 3/20/2017
- Deadline
The guild award nominations keep coming in. The Casting Society of America has announced the nominees in its feature film categories for the 32d annual Artios Awards, which honor outstanding achievement in casting. “Arrival,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” “Hidden Figures,” “Nocturnal Animals” and “The Girl on the Train” all picked up nods in the big-budget drama category, with “Captain Fantastic,” “Jackie,” “Lion,” “Loving” and “Manchester by the Sea” doing likewise in the studio or independent drama field.
Joel McHale will host the Los Angeles ceremony, while Michael Urie is on duty at the New York ceremony; both take place on January 19. Full list of nominees below.
Read More: SAG Film Nominations Surprise With ‘Captain Fantastic,’ Emily Blunt, and More
Big Budget — Comedy
“Deadpool” — Ronna Kress, Jennifer Page (Location Casting), Corinne Clark (Location Casting)
“Hail, Caesar!” — Ellen Chenoweth, Susanne Scheel (Associate)
“La La Land” — Deborah Aquila, Tricia Wood...
Joel McHale will host the Los Angeles ceremony, while Michael Urie is on duty at the New York ceremony; both take place on January 19. Full list of nominees below.
Read More: SAG Film Nominations Surprise With ‘Captain Fantastic,’ Emily Blunt, and More
Big Budget — Comedy
“Deadpool” — Ronna Kress, Jennifer Page (Location Casting), Corinne Clark (Location Casting)
“Hail, Caesar!” — Ellen Chenoweth, Susanne Scheel (Associate)
“La La Land” — Deborah Aquila, Tricia Wood...
- 1/3/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Twentieth Century Fox has named executive Angela Demo as vice president of feature casting for the studio’s film unit. Demo will report to Ronna Kress, Executive Vice President Feature Casting. The studio gig comes after years served as in independent casting director. Also Read: Broad Green Names Richie Fay President of Distribution Demo’s credits include “The Spectacular Now,” Rashida Jones‘ “Celeste & Jesse Forever” and “Two Night Stand.” She’s also an Artios Award winner for the buzzy Sundance film “The Stanford Prison Experiment” and “Me and Earl and The Dying Girl.” Upcoming projects she’s handled include the reboot of “Flatliners,...
- 10/10/2016
- by Matt Donnelly
- The Wrap
Independent casting director Ronna Kress has been appointed Evp Casting for 20th Century Fox Film, where she will be tasked with overseeing feature casting for 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Animation, Fox International Productions and Fox Searchlight Pictures. She will report to president of production Emma Watts. Kress’ credits include the recent Fox pics Deadpool and The Fault In Our Stars in addition to Mad Max: Fury Road, The Great Gatsby, The Blind Side, Mo…...
- 6/15/2016
- Deadline
Brie Larson won’t be throwing any stones when she moves into her new project, “The Glass Castle.” The actor, who recently nabbed an Academy Award for best actress for her performance in “Room,” isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. The new Lionsgate feature that also stars Woody Harrelson is based off former gossip columnist Jeannette Walls’ memoir of the same title. The film, which previously had Jennifer Lawrence attached (now credited as a producer), is about the dysfunctional and impoverished upbringing of three siblings as they work together to escape their toxic environment. The project, currently being cast by Ronna Kress, will go into production in Montreal at the beginning of June. Romeo and Juliet may have seen every incarnation imaginable, but ABC is looking to tell the story of their aftermath with a Shondaland twist. “Still Star-Crossed” will tell the story of the Montagues and the Capulets,...
- 3/23/2016
- backstage.com
The Casting Society of America has announced the nominees of its 31st annual Artios Awards. J.J. Abrams' "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is among the nominees in its Big Budget Drama category. And why not? The film cast the fantastic unknowns Daisy Ridley and John Boyega along with franchise veterans Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill. All to stellar effect mind you!
According to its site, "Artios" from the ancient Greek, meaning "perfectly fitted." So how fitting! Here's more info on the Artios Awards:
In October of 1985 the Casting Society of America presented the first-ever Artios Awards for Excellence in Casting at an awards luncheon. Held in the Crystal Room of the Beverly Hills Hotel, the event was attended by more than 500 industry leaders and seven Csa members were honored for their work in four different casting categories. In 1988, the first Artios Award for theatre casting was presented...
According to its site, "Artios" from the ancient Greek, meaning "perfectly fitted." So how fitting! Here's more info on the Artios Awards:
In October of 1985 the Casting Society of America presented the first-ever Artios Awards for Excellence in Casting at an awards luncheon. Held in the Crystal Room of the Beverly Hills Hotel, the event was attended by more than 500 industry leaders and seven Csa members were honored for their work in four different casting categories. In 1988, the first Artios Award for theatre casting was presented...
- 1/5/2016
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Proving that Hollywood will not rest until every superhero has his or her day on the big (and small) screen, Sarah Finn is back in the casting room to find another script-to-screen vigilante. While details on the feature remain hush-hush, the project will partner Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, which drastically narrows down the possibilities to the available properties that the groups co-own. Many enthusiasts are speculating another incarnation of Spider-Man, while others look toward the handful of untouched comic book characters that would also be ripe for scripting. The project has yet to announce a title, and filming has been loosely organized around a June 2016 start date. Atlanta is confirmed to host the production that has yet to announce any cast or plot details. Film studios and Netflix aren’t the only ones vying for superhero dollars; FX is grabbing a piece of the Marvel comic book action as well.
- 12/16/2015
- backstage.com
George Miller and Sarah Snook are set to present the first Casting Guild of Australia Awards for casting directors in film, television, theatre and advertising.
The Cga members boast a list of some major casting directors in the country..
Credits include: Gatsby, Pirates of the Carribbean, Animal Kingdom, Top of the Lake, The Code, Redfern Now, Rake, Mad Max, to name a few..
Combined, our members have cast in excess of 150 feature films, a mountain of TV series and TV Commercials well into their hundreds of thousands.
Miller (Mad Max Fury Road) will present the Sirius Award .- New Talent of the Future.
This recognises the skill to foresee and identify the future stars of the industry and the unique contribution made by Casting Directors.
Sarah Snook (The Dressmaker) and Ewen Leslie (The Daughter) will be co-hosting the event in Sydney on November 23.
.
Cga Annual Awards Evening
Sirius Awards-new Talent...
The Cga members boast a list of some major casting directors in the country..
Credits include: Gatsby, Pirates of the Carribbean, Animal Kingdom, Top of the Lake, The Code, Redfern Now, Rake, Mad Max, to name a few..
Combined, our members have cast in excess of 150 feature films, a mountain of TV series and TV Commercials well into their hundreds of thousands.
Miller (Mad Max Fury Road) will present the Sirius Award .- New Talent of the Future.
This recognises the skill to foresee and identify the future stars of the industry and the unique contribution made by Casting Directors.
Sarah Snook (The Dressmaker) and Ewen Leslie (The Daughter) will be co-hosting the event in Sydney on November 23.
.
Cga Annual Awards Evening
Sirius Awards-new Talent...
- 11/10/2015
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
Need For Speed director Scott Waugh became a stuntman in 1982 and retired in 2005. Waugh was the president of Stunts Unlimited for three years, the most prestigious stunt organization in the world. During his tenure, Stunts Unlimited was involved in such box office hits as Spider-Man, Talladega Nights, 24 and Bad Boys II. Under Waugh’s leadership, Stunts Unlimited received three consecutive Emmy Awards for Best Stunt Coordinator. He has been involved in more than 150 film and television productions in various capacities and gained his first-hand filmmaking knowledge from directors Michael Mann, Steven Spielberg and Oliver Stone while on their sets.
His feature film directorial debut, Act of Valor, which Relativity Media released in February 2012, opened #1 at the U.S. box office and went on to gross more than $80 million worldwide. He followed that up with this years high-octane racing action flick Need For Speed, which sees Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul star as Tobey Marshall,...
His feature film directorial debut, Act of Valor, which Relativity Media released in February 2012, opened #1 at the U.S. box office and went on to gross more than $80 million worldwide. He followed that up with this years high-octane racing action flick Need For Speed, which sees Breaking Bad‘s Aaron Paul star as Tobey Marshall,...
- 7/21/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
The Golden Globe-winning director of Gravity is among the line-up of speakers for Film Independent’s 13th annual Film Independent Directors Close-Up series scheduled from February 11–March 12 in Los Angeles.
Joining Cuarón on the guest roster are Out Of The Furnace director Scott Cooper, Boardwalk Empire and The Walking Dead director Jeremy Podeswa and casting director Ronna Kress.
Panel topics over the five-week event will cover writing and directing, casting actors and directing television.
Joining Cuarón on the guest roster are Out Of The Furnace director Scott Cooper, Boardwalk Empire and The Walking Dead director Jeremy Podeswa and casting director Ronna Kress.
Panel topics over the five-week event will cover writing and directing, casting actors and directing television.
- 1/14/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
So you’re casting a movie, and you want top-tier talent—not just for the leading roles but deep into the lineup. It’s a studio film but not one that features Norse gods or guys in robot suits—so your budget isn’t exactly top tier. In most cases, this would be a time to jump straight to the B list. But in this case, you’re Ronna Kress, and you’re casting a film about the making of one of the most beloved movies of all times, “Mary Poppins.” Put that B list away. “Saving Mr. Banks” features Emma Thompson as novelist and Poppins creator P.L. Travers and Tom Hanks as obscure mid-century studio boss Walt Disney. And those two are just the beginning. “It was a movie made for a price, and that’s always a tough sell,” Kress said. “But we were fortunate enough to attach Tom and Emma,...
- 12/2/2013
- backstage.com
For the thinking person’s thriller “Out of the Furnace,” casting director Ronna Kress set her sights high. She calls the film “one of those crazy movies” in which a CD and director work together to come up with a wish list of actors they think would be perfect for each and every role, then are able through effort and luck to land all of those actors for the project. Starring Christian Bale as an ex-convict out to avenge his younger brother, the movie features a deep roster of talent that includes Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Zoe Saldana, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, and Sam Shepard. While Kress, like many casting directors, has filmmakers she works with regularly, this was her first time paired with actor turned director Scott Cooper, best known for having written and helmed “Crazy Heart,” which won Jeff Bridges an Academy Award. “We would have long conversations...
- 11/28/2013
- backstage.com
"Casting By," the critically acclaimed documentary about the role of the casting director in the movie-making process, makes its Hollywood debut this weekend at Arena Cinema. To celebrate, the filmmakers have scheduled Q&As with some of the industry's top CDs to follow this weekend's screenings: Nov. 15, 7:45 p.m.: Deb Aquila; Wally Nicita; Robin Lippin; Cathy Sandrich Nov. 16, noon: Gary Zuckerbrod, Marci Liroff Nov. 16, 2 p.m.: Richard Hicks; Jane Jenkins Nov. 16, 7:45 p.m.: Barbara McCarthy, April Webster Nov. 17, noon: Deb Zane; Roger Mussenden; John Papsidera; Julie Hutchinson; Deb Barylski Nov. 17, 2 p.m.: Ronna Kress, Heidi Levitt Nov. 17, 7 p.m.: Risa Bramon Garcia; Caroline Liem For updates and ticket information, visit arenascreen.com...
- 11/13/2013
- backstage.com
Getting in the room with top casting directors ranks as an achievement for many actors. Now it's only a mouse click away. As part of its LifeRaft series, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation is livestreaming a panel of four prominent casting directors Tuesday night. TV and features casting director Ronna Kress ("Without a Trace," "Diary of a Wimpy Kid") and Jeanne McCarthy ("The Mindy Project," "21 Jump Street") and the feature-focused Mindy Marin ("Hangover III") and Victoria Thomas ("Django Unchained") will "share stories and anecdotes as they reflect over their careers and help provide a big picture perspective of what it is like to work with agents, managers, directors, producers, studio executives and actors," according to a release. The event will be livestreamed here starting at 7 p.m. Pacific. Questions can be emailed to livestream@sagfoundation.org or tweeted to #Sagf. The video will be archived immediately after the event at youtube.
- 7/9/2013
- backstage.com
(Baz Luhrmann, above.)
(This interview with Baz Luhrmann first appeared in Venice Magazine in June of 2001. I would later interview Baz for his opera production of "La Boheme" - check out that interview here. I seem to be in the minority, but I really enjoyed his Australia, a sprawling epic with unabashed sentimentality, reminiscent of many films from the old studio era.)
The Man Behind the Red Curtain
Director Baz Lurhmann Reveals the Secrets of Moulin Rouge
by Terry Keefe
The "Red Curtain" is a descriptive phrase coined by filmmaker Baz Luhrmann to describe his style of filmmaking, and it is apt - cinema which is also so highly theatrical that it feels like it was birthed from the stage. Think of the fevered final dance competition of his debut feature, Strictly Ballroom (1992) which was so colorful and high-octane that it almost seemed to be an animated film come to life.
(This interview with Baz Luhrmann first appeared in Venice Magazine in June of 2001. I would later interview Baz for his opera production of "La Boheme" - check out that interview here. I seem to be in the minority, but I really enjoyed his Australia, a sprawling epic with unabashed sentimentality, reminiscent of many films from the old studio era.)
The Man Behind the Red Curtain
Director Baz Lurhmann Reveals the Secrets of Moulin Rouge
by Terry Keefe
The "Red Curtain" is a descriptive phrase coined by filmmaker Baz Luhrmann to describe his style of filmmaking, and it is apt - cinema which is also so highly theatrical that it feels like it was birthed from the stage. Think of the fevered final dance competition of his debut feature, Strictly Ballroom (1992) which was so colorful and high-octane that it almost seemed to be an animated film come to life.
- 2/15/2013
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
In an attempt to avoid the crush of next year’s pilot season, four pilots in the early stages of production now have casting directors attached. These high-profile pilots are all likely to get the green light from network executives, but the decision to bring on casting personnel before they’ve been formally greenlit is just further evidence that pilot season is creeping back a couple months from its traditional mid-January kickoff. "There is no traditional pilot season anymore," said Cathy Reinking, a former manager of casting at NBC who oversaw the pilot casting on "The Office" and "Medium" among others. "The cable networks are doing pilots all-year round now so there's no traditional pilot season from January through March." Backstage has learned that the CBS pilot “Hostages,” producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s show about a family wrapped up in a political conspiracy, has Ronna Kress attached as a casting director.
- 12/13/2012
- backstage.com
Two more ABC drama pilots have picked up casting directors, Back Stage has confirmed."Gotham," from 20th TV, will be cast by the New York–based office of Beth Bowling and Kim Miscia. The pilot, written by "The River" executive producer Michael Green, is a police procedural with supernatural elements centering on a female cop who, in the course of pursuing an unsolved case, discovers a magical world hidden within New York City. The pilot is set to shoot in New York in mid March. Bowling/Miscia are also casting the CBS pilot "Trooper.""Zero Hour," from ABC Studios, will be cast by Ronna Kress. The pilot, written by 'Prison Break" creator Paul Scheuring, is about the longtime editor of a skeptics magazine who begins to question everything he believes when he's unwittingly pulled into a globe-spanning conspiracy. Kress generally casts film projects big in both budget and profile (recent credits include the upcoming.
- 2/15/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Pete Keeley)
- backstage.com
Casting Directors: Ronna Kress and Nikki Barrett Director: Baz Luhrmann Writers: Baz Luhrmann and Stuart Beattie Starring: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Bryan Brown The Pitch: During World War II, an English aristocrat (Kidman) inherits a massive ranch and teams up with a rough-hewn drover (Jackman) to protect her new property from a takeover plot.Baz Luhrmann tackles everything in large-scale, unorthodox fashion. After completing his "red curtain" trilogy — Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, and Moulin Rouge! — he decided to go back to his cultural roots with the epic Australia, which follows an Englishwoman who teams with an Aussie cattle driver to save her inheritance, just as World War II comes knocking Down Under. He turned to Australian casting director Nikki Barrett (Candy, The Proposition, Babe: Pig in the City) and American CD Ronna Kress to populate the film, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Kress is accustomed to Luhrmann's scale,...
- 12/11/2008
- backstage.com
In "YYY" -- oops, that's "$$$" -- the lead's early rally-around-the-rebel-flag yell sets the tone: "I live for this shit!" Played as a punk superman by Vin Diesel, the "Everyman" protagonist of director Rob Cohen's brawny spy film endures many hardships and performs preposterous feats of derring-do, and he tries very hard to be bad.
OK, the Columbia Pictures release is called "XXX" (pronounced "Triple X"), and it's definitely not to be confused with an old-fashioned skin flick. Or anything square like James Bond. Expanding on the multicultural milieu of streetwise tattooed guys with boss cars, hot girls and prison records, Cohen, Diesel and producer Neal H. Moritz -- all of whom scored with "The Fast and the Furious" -- should ignite a late-summer boxoffice inferno that will burn brightly in theaters and in ancillary markets.
Off to a shaky start with an obviously out-of-place National Security Agency agent getting blown away at a music club by psycho Russians in Prague, "XXX" is pitifully written, with flagrant disregard for reality in the fashion of a spoof. For starters, why is the NSA taking on a powerful anarchist group? And who would wear a tux anywhere near a Rammstein gig?
Not only the antithesis of subtle -- with semi-avian Americans (nihilist rogues or otherwise) pretty much having a lock on daredevil coolness and vehicular prowess -- the movie, if it were a sentient entity, would be blissfully unaware of how dumb it comes off about the real world of espionage and counterintelligence. It's really the Diesel Express and the special effects department that keep the X's rolling. An expensive B movie with nuts, "XXX" rarely gets bogged down but still proves less than mind-scorchingly memorable.
The introduction of head-shaven Xander Cage (Diesel) is certainly a rush as he steals the convertible Corvette of a California state senator and then films himself crashing it off a bridge, including his leaping out of the falling car and using a parachute to scoot away unharmed and free to strike again. A legend in the extreme sports world, but no one's fool or an automatically patriotic warrior, Cage is snatched by NSA honcho Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson), who is desperate to find a smart but ruthless jock to go back to Prague and finish the job.
After a couple of "tests," which include Cage being drugged and then dropped into a Colombian coca plantation and having to survive an attack by rocket-launching helicopters by doing monumental jumps on a motocross bike, the angry-but-twice-convicted-loser goes to the Czech Republic. Sticking out in a shaggy coat, Cage barges in on Yorgi (Marton Csokas) and Yelena (Asia Argento), two diabolical Russians bent on causing worldwide turmoil. Posing as himself and purchasing a fistful of hot-rodder cars, Cage gets close enough to provide Gibbons with info, as well as see what a formidable female Yelena is. But there's more on Gibbons' agenda, and Cage goes to another techno-rave event at the bad guy's place and is accommodated by an anonymous willing babe waiting in his room. Eventually, Cage brings about the end of Yorgi and his plot by many means, including causing an avalanche and racing in a hopped-up 1967 GTO to stop Ahab, a hydrofoil/submarine loaded with deadly rockets.
Diesel is the man, no doubt about it, but Argento -- who has made many more films and played some very demanding roles -- is quite a woman in her big introduction to English-speaking moviegoers. The chromosomal dynamics of "XXX" are in balance when she trades attitudinal glances and body language with the lead. The supporting performances are unexceptional but acceptable given the lack of importance placed on characterizations. Both of the scarred dudes played by Csokas and Jackson are easily summed up in short sentences.
Featuring superior work by cinematographer Dean Semler, production designer Gavin Bocquet and the demolition crews, with some stunts filmed by a dozen cameras or more, "XXX" has the wheels, weapons and women -- and a surefire best-selling soundtrack -- to bond with hotblooded thrill seekers, or at least guys on a date looking for a role model. Lesson No. 1: Have a neck thick enough to fit a tattoo on.
XXX
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures
Revolution Studios presents a Neal H. Moritz production
Credits:
Director: Rob Cohen
Screenwriter: Rich Wilkes
Producer: Neal H. Moritz
Executive producers: Arne L. Schmidt, Todd Garner, Vin Diesel, George Zakk
Director of photography: Dean Semler
Production designer: Gavin Bocquet
Editors: Chris Lebenzon, Paul Rubell, Joel Negron
Costume designer: Sanja Milkovic Hays
Music: Randy Edelman
Casting: Ronna Kress, Kate Dowd
Cast:
Xander Cage: Vin Diesel
Yelena: Asia Argento
Yorgi: Marton Csokas
Agent Augustus Gibbons: Samuel L. Jackson
Toby Lee Shavers: Michael Roof
Milan Sova: Richy Muller
Kirill: Werner Daehn
Virg: Joe Bucaro III
Running time -- 124 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
OK, the Columbia Pictures release is called "XXX" (pronounced "Triple X"), and it's definitely not to be confused with an old-fashioned skin flick. Or anything square like James Bond. Expanding on the multicultural milieu of streetwise tattooed guys with boss cars, hot girls and prison records, Cohen, Diesel and producer Neal H. Moritz -- all of whom scored with "The Fast and the Furious" -- should ignite a late-summer boxoffice inferno that will burn brightly in theaters and in ancillary markets.
Off to a shaky start with an obviously out-of-place National Security Agency agent getting blown away at a music club by psycho Russians in Prague, "XXX" is pitifully written, with flagrant disregard for reality in the fashion of a spoof. For starters, why is the NSA taking on a powerful anarchist group? And who would wear a tux anywhere near a Rammstein gig?
Not only the antithesis of subtle -- with semi-avian Americans (nihilist rogues or otherwise) pretty much having a lock on daredevil coolness and vehicular prowess -- the movie, if it were a sentient entity, would be blissfully unaware of how dumb it comes off about the real world of espionage and counterintelligence. It's really the Diesel Express and the special effects department that keep the X's rolling. An expensive B movie with nuts, "XXX" rarely gets bogged down but still proves less than mind-scorchingly memorable.
The introduction of head-shaven Xander Cage (Diesel) is certainly a rush as he steals the convertible Corvette of a California state senator and then films himself crashing it off a bridge, including his leaping out of the falling car and using a parachute to scoot away unharmed and free to strike again. A legend in the extreme sports world, but no one's fool or an automatically patriotic warrior, Cage is snatched by NSA honcho Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson), who is desperate to find a smart but ruthless jock to go back to Prague and finish the job.
After a couple of "tests," which include Cage being drugged and then dropped into a Colombian coca plantation and having to survive an attack by rocket-launching helicopters by doing monumental jumps on a motocross bike, the angry-but-twice-convicted-loser goes to the Czech Republic. Sticking out in a shaggy coat, Cage barges in on Yorgi (Marton Csokas) and Yelena (Asia Argento), two diabolical Russians bent on causing worldwide turmoil. Posing as himself and purchasing a fistful of hot-rodder cars, Cage gets close enough to provide Gibbons with info, as well as see what a formidable female Yelena is. But there's more on Gibbons' agenda, and Cage goes to another techno-rave event at the bad guy's place and is accommodated by an anonymous willing babe waiting in his room. Eventually, Cage brings about the end of Yorgi and his plot by many means, including causing an avalanche and racing in a hopped-up 1967 GTO to stop Ahab, a hydrofoil/submarine loaded with deadly rockets.
Diesel is the man, no doubt about it, but Argento -- who has made many more films and played some very demanding roles -- is quite a woman in her big introduction to English-speaking moviegoers. The chromosomal dynamics of "XXX" are in balance when she trades attitudinal glances and body language with the lead. The supporting performances are unexceptional but acceptable given the lack of importance placed on characterizations. Both of the scarred dudes played by Csokas and Jackson are easily summed up in short sentences.
Featuring superior work by cinematographer Dean Semler, production designer Gavin Bocquet and the demolition crews, with some stunts filmed by a dozen cameras or more, "XXX" has the wheels, weapons and women -- and a surefire best-selling soundtrack -- to bond with hotblooded thrill seekers, or at least guys on a date looking for a role model. Lesson No. 1: Have a neck thick enough to fit a tattoo on.
XXX
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures
Revolution Studios presents a Neal H. Moritz production
Credits:
Director: Rob Cohen
Screenwriter: Rich Wilkes
Producer: Neal H. Moritz
Executive producers: Arne L. Schmidt, Todd Garner, Vin Diesel, George Zakk
Director of photography: Dean Semler
Production designer: Gavin Bocquet
Editors: Chris Lebenzon, Paul Rubell, Joel Negron
Costume designer: Sanja Milkovic Hays
Music: Randy Edelman
Casting: Ronna Kress, Kate Dowd
Cast:
Xander Cage: Vin Diesel
Yelena: Asia Argento
Yorgi: Marton Csokas
Agent Augustus Gibbons: Samuel L. Jackson
Toby Lee Shavers: Michael Roof
Milan Sova: Richy Muller
Kirill: Werner Daehn
Virg: Joe Bucaro III
Running time -- 124 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.