In their coverage of the Cannes Film Festival Variety published an article about Marion Cotillard’s next French film project ‘Le Dernier vol de Lancaster’ (The Last Flight). Read the full article here. The film is described as a “Sahara-set adventure-romantic drama” and will apparently start shooting next January in Marocco after Marion finishes shooting Rob Marshall’s musical ‘Nine’.

Screenplay is by Remy Waterhouse, from an epistolary novel “The Last Flight of the Lancaster.” A tempestuous tale of conflict — between colonial forces and local insurgents, old and new loves, and men who face off for the love of Cotillard — “Flight” is set in 1933. Cotillard plays a dashing and thoroughly modern femme aviator who lands in the Sahara, looking for her lover, an English long-distance record-breaking aviator who’s crashed in the desert. Meanwhile, the local French Foreign legion fort faces a local rebellion.

Good news: The production company Gaumont is in advanced negotiations for Guillaume Canet, the film will be presented to buyers during the Film Festival and it will apparently be in English!

Recent French reports indicate Guillaume Canet would be playing the title character Bill Lancaster (his casting was confirmed by none other than Ms Cotillard’s mother herself in the forums of the official family site) while the name of Marion’s heroine is Chubbie Miller.

Another reason to follow the coverage of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival: A French Gossip site reported that Marion Cotillard confirmed her attendance.

Public Enemies – starring none other than Johnny Depp and currently filming in the US mid west – continues to attract great acting talents. Apparently, Billy Crudup – who played Marion’s husband in Big Fish – joined the cast to play former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.

Back when the set was in Columbus this blog used to be a great source of news & updates reporting straight from where it was all happening and the blog continues to bring us all the latest info on what’s happening on the film’s set. Check out other links provided by JV in the comments section of a previous post here on this site. There was no mention of Marion Cotillard apart from an IMDB user reporting she did some interior scenes in a mansion with Johnny on the Thursday before the Easter weekend and claiming she didn’t come out the greet the crowds because she was cold from having been scantily dressed all day during shooting. Also a French gossip site reported that Marion then was able to take a few days off (probably over the Easter weekend) to come home to Paris, where she was spotted at a concert.

There are many comments about the making of the film, about Johnny Depp and also about the story behind the film – the true story of Dillinger – but finding information about Marion’s current involvement proves to be a bit more difficult. So if you come across any additional information don’t hesitate to comment here on the site to let us all know about it!

I bought tons of French magazines featuring Marion Cotillard when I was at my local newstand yesterday. Scans etc to follow tomorrow. First some exciting news about Marion’s next French project. We now know the title for the ‘Karim Dridi Project’: according to the latest French Elle issue the title is ‘Le Dernier Vol de Lancaster’:

And, as far as French ["hexagonal"] cinema is concerned, we will have to wait for the beginning of 2009, that is when “the little French mermaid”, as she is nicknamed on the other side of the Atlantic, is going to shoot “Le Dernier Vol de Lancaster” (Lancaster’s last flight) under the direction of Karim Dridi (director of “Pigalle”, “Bye Bye”…). “It’s a romance movie like we don’t do them anymore,” the happy director reveals to us. “A marvellous adventure in the Sahara desert during the 30s. Marion’s character will fall in love with an handsome Méhariste [A méhara is a camel, a méhariste is a (often nomad) camel-mounted soldier of the French army during the time of colonisation...] who could be played by, I dream about it, Guillaume Canet!” But how did he manage to convince France’s new darling? “She fell for this love story and like “La Vie En Rose” it’s an “auteur” film but with a strong commercial potential. Like Piaf who achieved international sucess without forgetting her roots, Marion wants and needs to work at home as well. It’s up to the producers to be ambitious, to offer her big subjects, artistic movies, a cinema that enables her to express her talent. In short, to attract her, you’ll have to take risks!” concludes the director.

Thanks Delsa for this translation! Add to this Marion’s enthusiastic comments about the project – such as “I have an amazing beautiful project in France” – and I can’t wait for this film to be released! Which will probably be late 2009 or 2010….

According to The Daily Page there will be an open casting call for extras for Marion Cotillard’s upcoming movie ‘Public Enemies’: Saturday, February 16, at Monona Terrace in Madison

The film will be shooting in Chicago and around Wisconsin this spring. Locations in the state are set to include Manitowish Waters and Richland Center, with others sites scouted over the last month including Oshkosh, Milwaukee, Baraboo, and the Capitol in downtown Madison. Now the production is searching for people in the region to work as paid non-speaking extras for these shoots, with the open casting call from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at Monona Terrace. “We are shooting in the Wisconsin area and need people with great faces for this 1930s period film,” begins an announcement from the extras casting agent. “We are currently looking for men no taller than 6’1″, women should be no taller than 5’8″, and no larger than a size 12. We are also looking for children of all ages.”

To see further details on how to prepare before going to the casting call be sure to read through the information on the afore-mentioned page carefully. Additionally, the article reveals that ‘Public Enemies’ will be shooting from mid-March through to June. Not sure for how long Marion is required on set for her scenes as Billie Frechette.

Those of you who have read the French interview on the Studio Hors Série scans already know. Marion Cotillard has another upcoming project apart from Nine. It’s Karim Dridi’s next film. Actually, I just learned, she referred to this project already back in September in a French interview with Télécinéobs: “Ce sera une très belle histoire d’amour.” Which translates to “It will be a very beautiful love story.” You will be pleased to know that the November-January issue of US magazine MEAN has more information (scans coming soon!):

I have an amazing beautiful project in France at the end of 2008. It’s a true story, it takes place in the desert and it’s in the early ’30s. She’s a woman, she flies planes and she goes to Africa by herself because the love of her llife has crashed in the desert. There is a French director from Tunisia attached to the project, Karim Dridi.

This sounds exciting, doesn’t it?! If you know anything else about this project – e.g. the movie title – please don’t hesitate to tell us!

Let’s all hope that scheduling conflicts for Marion Cotillard can be avoided! Karim Dridi’s film is scheduled to start shooting at the end of 2008 and Nine‘s planned production start is in the second half of 2008.

‘You and Me‘ – one of my favourite Marion Cotillard movies – is being shown at the 11th Annual Festival of New French Cinema in Chicago this Saturday, December 8th at 9pm. Buy tickets online.

On a less happier note, Marion Cotillard’s performance in La Vie en Rose was not acknowledged when the winners of this year’s National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Awards were announced yesterday. Julie Christie (Away From Her) was named Best Actress and Ellen Page (Juno) received the Breakthrough Award. The film itself was named one of the Top 5 Foreign Films though. NBR Awards have no commercial ties to the motion-picture industry and support film, domestic and foreign, as both art and entertainment.

Older films starring Marion Cotillard will soon be released with English subtitles. Good news is that it seems like they will be region-free although primarily released in the US.

Pretty Things, original: Les Jolies Choses, this features a very strong and powerful performance of Marion that is bound to blow you away. I’ve just re-watched the film yesterday. It also showcases her vocal talents. Release date: September 11, 2007

Furia This film is hard to come by. It had been released on NTSC DVD a few years ago but can only be purchased by private sellers. Ironically, the film never saw a release in its origin country France. I’m looking forward to seeing Marion in this, even though I’m not fond of Horror films. Release date: August 14, 2007 delayed now: August 28, 2007

I’ve added the Screencaptures, Making Of and Teaser for last year’s French film ‘Dikkenek’. Enjoy!

Marion Cotillard, or actually her film ‘La Vie en Rose’, certainly is making the festival round-up. The Philadelphia Film Festival, running from April 5 – 18, is showing it on April 12 at 7.00 pm and on April 13 at 2.15 pm. See the film’s page on their website here. And the film’s English official site has been set up – though it’s not yet complete.

But also last year’s French film Fair Play also starring Marion will be shown there. Here’s a review:
Fair Play assumes that life is a game and succeeds to startling effect in proving that, in corporate France, the converse is true, as well. In the final canyoneering (you know, for fraternité) scene, pain is a truth serum that threatens to destroy the rules and shatter the boundary between sport and real life. The lousy subtitles are the only unintentional addition to the constant tension — struggling to figure out what the hell is going on and read white subtitles against a waterfall while Charles (Eric Savin) tries to intimidate Nicole (Marion Cotillard) into withdrawing her sexual harassment suit isn’t nearly as rewarding as watching Alex welt his boss with a racquetball after proclaiming he’s slept with his wife in an attempt to keep his job.

Showtimes: Wed., April 11, 2:30 p.m., Ritz East, 125 S. Second St.; Fri., April 13, 2:30 p.m., The Bridge: Cinema DeLuxe, 4012 Walnut St.; Mon., April 16, 7:15 p.m., Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St.

The San Francisco Film Festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The fest, which runs April 26 – May 10, will screen 200 films from 54 countries and present three world premieres. It has now been announced that “the official closer will be another costume drama, current French b.o. smash “La Vie en Rose” with Marion Cotillard as tragic chanteuse Edith Piaf.” This will mark the film’s West Coast Premiere in the United States. See the festival’s page on the film here.