Two Master Filmmakers Pass Away;
Simpsons Movie Picks a Springfield
August 2007 News
Bergman, Antonioni die: Two giants of filmmaking died at the end of July. Writer-director Ingmar Bergman passed away July 30 at his home in Faro, Sweden. Bergman got his start in theater, but is probably best known for his films, many directed from his own scripts. Among his most acclaimed works were 1955's Smiles of a Summer Night, 1957's Academy Award-nominated The Seventh Seal, 1957's Wild Strawberries, 1966's Persona, and 1978's Autumn Sonata. Bergman was 89.
Bergman's fellow filmmaker, Michelangelo Antonioni, died on the same day at his home in Rome. The Italian director initially was a writer, penning fiction and film criticism; after writing a couple of screenplays, he helmed his first film, Gente del Po, in 1943. He made fewer films than Bergman, but his place in film history is equally secure, thanks to works like 1960's L'Avventura, 1961's La Notte, 1962's L'Eclisse, and 1966's Blow-Up. Antonioni was 94.
In memoriam: Cinematographer Lazlo Kovacs died July 21. The Hungarian-born DP came to the U.S. in 1957, eventually finding work in TV. He shot all sorts of films, from exploitation movies early in his career to more mainstream fare such as Miss Congeniality and Ghostbusters, but is perhaps most famous for shooting counterculture films Easy Rider (right) and Five Easy Pieces. Kovacs was 74.
Veteran character actor Charles Lane died July 9. He appeared in hundreds of films, the first being 1931's Smart Money. Frank Capra cast Lane in ten films, including It's a Wonderful Life and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Lane also performed on stage and on TV, making several appearances on Lucille Ball's I Love Lucy. Lane was 102.
Springfield, Vt. wins "Simpsons" premiere: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie headed to Springfield, Vermont for their big-screen debut. Despite not having been initially invited to the competition, the small town received 15,367 votes in an online poll, beating out 13 other Springfields for the right to host the July 21 premiere of The Simpsons. "It proves theres really nothing a giant doughnut can't do," Vermont Governor Jim Douglas. "To all the other Springfields, I say 'Don't have a cow, man.'"
Hopper, Lane, sign on for "Swing Vote": Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Kelsey Grammer, Stanley Tucci, and George Lopez have joined the cast of Swing Vote, a political-themed comedy that will begin shooting later this month. Kevin Costner stars as a working-class single father whose vote will decide the presidential election; Grammer and Hopper play the candidates, with Lane and Tucci as rival campaign managers; Lopez plays the manager of a local TV station in Costner's hometown.
Carrey to take on "Carol": Jim Carrey has agreed to star in a new adaptation of A Christmas Carol. The actor will play four roles: Ebenezer Scrooge, the miserly main character in Charles' Dickens' holiday classic, and the three ghosts who haunt him on Christmas Eve. Robert Zemeckis will direct from his script, and word is that he will use the same performance-capture technique first introduced in The Polar Express.
Other wheeling and dealing: Nicole Kidman has agreed to star in and produce Monte Carlo, a romantic comedy about a trio of teachers who pretend to be wealthy women while vacationing in Monaco. Kevin Spacey will reprise his role as Lex Luther for Superman: Man of Steel, the follow-up to last year's Superman Returns. Knocked Up's Seth Rogen is reportedly close to a deal to write and possibly act in The Green Hornet.
Aaron Sorkin has agreed to write three films for Dreamworks. The first, The Trial of the Chicago 7, will be a drama about protestors at the 1968 Democratic convention. Steven Spielberg has been working on the project with Sorkin, with an eye to directing. And Paramount is exploring the possibility of remaking Footloose as a full-blown musical; Zac Efron of TV's High School Musical and the recently-released Hairspray is in talks to star.
