Maggie on Letterman and Regis - And Jake to start filming on 24 July?

While all has gone quiet on the Jake front again - no doubt he's brushing up on his parkour and trying to make amends for a weekend of crepes - Maggie Gyllenhaal has more than made up for it. Hot on the heels of her appearance on the Late Show with Letterman, Maggie has just completed her stint on the obligatory Regis and Kelly and thanks to Pop Crunch we can already see the interview ourselves.

Here is a video of Maggie outside the studio.


Maggie Gyllenhaal and Kristen Bell outside the Regis & Kelly show in New York

As for Maggie on the David Letterman Show...





Source.

Maggie has also been talking some more about Heath Ledger: 'I knew him some before we did the movie together (her brother, Jake Gyllenhaal, co-starred with Ledger in ‘Brokeback Mountain’). Heath hit a stride that was absolutely free, which is rare for an actor. The scene I did with him was very scary and full of tension and horrible in a lot of ways. But I actually had such a blast shooting it with him because anything I did, he would roll with me, and he threw all sorts of things at me.'


Meanwhile, according to Variety, Maggie has signed on to star with Jeff Bridges and Robert Duvall in 'the music-based drama "Crazy Heart" for CMT Films and Informant Media. Scott Cooper wrote and will helm the film, which is based on the debut novel by Thomas Cobb. Story centers on a down-on-his-luck, alcoholic country music singer (Bridges) who is able to get his life and career back on track through his relationship and experiences with a female reporter (Gyllenhaal).' This sounds like Maggie will be able to film closer to film and family than she would have done in South Solitary, which is to film in Tasmania.


The Prince

But what about Jake...? Variety also reports that, with fears of a screen actors' strike 'Studios have decided to sit out the summer, and the fall, for that matter. There are a few exceptions: Sony just began production on the Roland Emmerich-directed "2012," Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer expect to begin production in Morocco on "Prince of Persia" on July 24, and Universal is set to push the start button Aug. 19 on the Ridley Scott-directed Russell Crowe starrer "Nottingham" in London.' So July 24, a week today.



Things are getting ready to go in Morocco and it's hot! One of the last places I expected to find information on the Prince of Persia shoot was Leek, Staffordshire (and I can say that as I have very close family there - I can also report that Leek has more speed cameras than any other place in the world) but it turns out that a sculptor from Leek, Robert Bean, has just returned from his stint on the Moroccan set and it was hot, damn hot. He's now back at Pinewood - presumably the other place where scenes are to be shot - finishing the set there:


'As a freelance polystyrene carver and model maker, his work involved sculpting models of the the full-scale sets which decorate the film, which will star Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina. The former Leek High School pupil and Leek College of Art student said: "It may sound glamorous, but in reality, working on an industrial site on the outskirts of Marrakesh wasn't easy. Temperatures hit 45C daily and after a month of that, it was a bit of a relief to return to the UK and this awful wet summer. The Prince of Persia, like Tomb Raider, is based on a successful computer game and as you would imagine, that leaves great scope for set designers and sculptors alike." The 42-year-old is currently working back at Pinewood Studios finishing various scenic pieces for the film.'



And with my mind on the Prince, a big thanks to Zodiac for links to the amazing HD trailer for the new Prince of Persia game (the source of the stills here). This may be something different from Jake's prince but it does give us a flavour of the feeling and passion and beauty behind the whole franchise. Give in to it and enjoy!


Includes pictures from IHJ and links.