Post by admin on Aug 23, 2007 21:49:21 GMT 8
... terror waits at 'Your Door'; casting news for Johansson
There's a reason Clive Owen was one of the final candidates to fill James Bond's tuxedo in "Casino Royale" (even if he continues to publicly deny it). And while in hindsight it's hard to argue with the selection of Daniel Craig, if there is any actor cornering the market on sophisticated yet macho heroes, it's Owen. Now, after diverse roles in action movies such as "Croupier," "King Arthur," "Sin City" and "Children of Men," Owen is starring in his most violent flick yet, the appropriately titled "Shoot 'Em Up." To say this picture packs a punch is an understatement.
"Occasionally people might get upset with the violence in 'Shoot 'Em Up' and they'll ask you to justify it," Owen says. "It's like 'Tom and Jerry.' It's nothing to do with real violence in the real world. You will never see a shootout with guys skydiving from a plane. It's not going to happen. It's entertainment."
The brainchild of writer/director Michael Davis, "Shoot 'Em Up" finds Owen playing Mr. Smith, a hard-boiled character who is entrusted with protecting a newborn baby (and yes, it's bizarrely similar to Owen's last role in "Children of Men"). But in this picture, Smith has to deal with a shadowy figure (Paul Giamatti) who will kill anyone to make sure that baby dies. Along the way, Smith teams up with a prostitute, DQ (a scene-stealing Monica Bellucci), to try to solve the mystery of why a lot of powerful people want this newborn dead. In all honesty, the story is merely a setup for Davis' numerous action sequences, and I promise you'll never look at a carrot the same way again.
The filmmaker had never made a big-budget commercial movie before, but sold New Line and the producers with a crudely animated 15 minutes of the film's action sequences (that's about 17,000 hand-drawn renderings). It was discovering Davis' passion that convinced Owen to take the role. Owen recalls, "Every time I asked him a practical question about shooting this scene or that scene, he knew every angle he wanted to do. I was like, 'One, if he doesn't make the film, he's going to explode. I don't want that to happen to the guy. And two, he's ready to make this film. He's together and he'll pull it off."
Owen has been in the middle of a well-deserved break, but will soon begin shooting the political thriller "The International" with director Tom Tykwer ("Run, Lola, Run") and Naomi Watts. He also revealed he's been speaking to his "Children" director, Alfonso Cuaron, about reuniting on an untitled picture, but wouldn't reveal any other details. The actor's growing legion of fans can also find him playing Sir Walter Raleigh opposite Cate Blanchett's Queen Elizabeth I in the highly anticipated "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," which will premiere at next month's Toronto Film Festival and hit theaters Oct. 12.
"Shoot 'Em Up" opens Sept. 7.
There's a reason Clive Owen was one of the final candidates to fill James Bond's tuxedo in "Casino Royale" (even if he continues to publicly deny it). And while in hindsight it's hard to argue with the selection of Daniel Craig, if there is any actor cornering the market on sophisticated yet macho heroes, it's Owen. Now, after diverse roles in action movies such as "Croupier," "King Arthur," "Sin City" and "Children of Men," Owen is starring in his most violent flick yet, the appropriately titled "Shoot 'Em Up." To say this picture packs a punch is an understatement.
"Occasionally people might get upset with the violence in 'Shoot 'Em Up' and they'll ask you to justify it," Owen says. "It's like 'Tom and Jerry.' It's nothing to do with real violence in the real world. You will never see a shootout with guys skydiving from a plane. It's not going to happen. It's entertainment."
The brainchild of writer/director Michael Davis, "Shoot 'Em Up" finds Owen playing Mr. Smith, a hard-boiled character who is entrusted with protecting a newborn baby (and yes, it's bizarrely similar to Owen's last role in "Children of Men"). But in this picture, Smith has to deal with a shadowy figure (Paul Giamatti) who will kill anyone to make sure that baby dies. Along the way, Smith teams up with a prostitute, DQ (a scene-stealing Monica Bellucci), to try to solve the mystery of why a lot of powerful people want this newborn dead. In all honesty, the story is merely a setup for Davis' numerous action sequences, and I promise you'll never look at a carrot the same way again.
The filmmaker had never made a big-budget commercial movie before, but sold New Line and the producers with a crudely animated 15 minutes of the film's action sequences (that's about 17,000 hand-drawn renderings). It was discovering Davis' passion that convinced Owen to take the role. Owen recalls, "Every time I asked him a practical question about shooting this scene or that scene, he knew every angle he wanted to do. I was like, 'One, if he doesn't make the film, he's going to explode. I don't want that to happen to the guy. And two, he's ready to make this film. He's together and he'll pull it off."
Owen has been in the middle of a well-deserved break, but will soon begin shooting the political thriller "The International" with director Tom Tykwer ("Run, Lola, Run") and Naomi Watts. He also revealed he's been speaking to his "Children" director, Alfonso Cuaron, about reuniting on an untitled picture, but wouldn't reveal any other details. The actor's growing legion of fans can also find him playing Sir Walter Raleigh opposite Cate Blanchett's Queen Elizabeth I in the highly anticipated "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," which will premiere at next month's Toronto Film Festival and hit theaters Oct. 12.
"Shoot 'Em Up" opens Sept. 7.
