Great uncle Jake - start dates and premieres - Peter to take on Broadway

A bits and pieces post this evening... Firstly, confusion reigns over the exact date on which The Prince of Persia will kick off. We've heard the date 28 July bandied about by the LA Times and now we hear that stuntman Dave Pope has had to rush through his wedding because he's been booked to act in the 'upcoming "Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time," with Jake Gyllenhaal, with production starting in Morocco on Tuesday and not wrapping till the fall.' That's a start day of today.


However, with the uncertainty looming about whether screen actors will strike or not, I'm inclined to believe - and this is only a personal opinion - that later in the month is a more likely start date for the principle actors, although Jake's apparent continued presence in the UK (hinted at by unsubstantiated sightings) does suggest pre-production work is underway in Britain. Talking of unsubstantiated sightings of Jake and Reese in London, here's another one - this time at The Ledbury restaurant, Notting Hill, on Sunday (see the comments to this Metro feature).


And the theme of misinformation continues - all kinds of hype surrounds the premiere of The Dark Knight in NYC on 14 July, with Warner Brothers now contesting the widely spread belief that the event will be a tribute to Heath Ledger, with his family attending. They may be attending but they're not certain. Added to the uncertainty is whether Jake Gyllenhaal will be attending as Maggie's date - according to OK! he is. What is certain is that those who have been fortunate enough to have seen previews of The Dark Knight are raving about the film and, especially, about Heath's iconic Joker.


Maggie meanwhile has been talking about her priorities and, not surprisingly, her 20-month old daughter Ramona is hers. 'I do think that it's really difficult to get me away from [Ramona]," she said. "It's difficult to find a script that's good enough for me to think, 'Okay, I really need to do this instead of being with my daughter.'" Known for her edgy performances, Gyllenhaal filmed Farlanders for director Sam Mendes last spring, "but mostly I've been with her," she says. "Some people have asked me whether I'll choose things that ... have a more sort of child-appropriate content, and I don't think so. I think I'll choose what's interesting to me."'

'Gyllenhaal says she receives tremendous support balancing parenthood and career from fiancé, Peter Sarsgaard. "We share absolutely equally," she explained, and added that her brother Jake Gyllenhaal is "a great uncle."'


We have, of course, had our hopes dashed that Jake would take to the Broadway boards this Autumn. But all those lucky enough to live near NYC will be able to see Peter Sarsgaard instead. Variety has anounced that Peter will be starring in Chekhov's Seagull at the Walter Kerr Theater from 1 October alongside Kristin Scott Thomas. Previews start on 16 September. This production premiered at London's Royal Court Theatre back in early 2007 and the cast coming to NYC includes Carey Mulligan who, of course, is starring in An Education with Peter. Until today, and hearing this news, I always thought that you can see enough Chekov for one lifetime.


Includes pictures from IHJ and Dazed and Confused.