Festivals! Prisoners for Toronto and An Enemy for San Sebastian

As we get closer to the releases this autumn of Jake Gyllenhaal's next films - Prisoners (starring with Hugh Jackman) and An Enemy or Enemy (starring with Jake Gyllenhaal), the line up for the season's Film Festivals emerge. Although one or both were pondered as possibles for Venice, neither was to be. However, Prisoners is among the line up for the Toronto International Film Festival and An Enemy for the San Sebastian Film festival. Appropriately, we have a new Prisoners poster to celebrate. This time the poster features both Hugh Jackman and Jake (via IHJ).

Toronto (5-15 September) - Prisoners has been listed as a Special Presentation. The schedule will be released on 20 August. The inclusion of another doppelgangar movie in the schedule, The Double, made the appearance of An Enemy less than likely.

San Sebastian (20-28 September) - An Enemy (a Canada and Spain co-production) will appear at the Spanish Festival instead where it will compete as part of the official selection. I'll be crossing all my fingers for Jake and Jake (image via the festival website).

Time to dust off that tux and give the red carpet a sweep. Fabulous.

Jake Gyllenhaal - Out of the Woods and Into the Mountains - and a WDW Roman Interlude

Today came the news that Jake Gyllenhaal will not be heading Into the Woods after all. Despite the undoubted appeal - at least to many of his fans - of frolicking in the woods with a Disney princess while singing with the birds, Jake has put an axe into this film's hopes and instead plans to don his crampons, grab his grappling hooks and ascend Everest instead. And why? Because it's there.

The news of Everest came from Deadline:Featuring Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Jake Gyllenhaal and Jason Clarke aim to start shooting Everest in November, directed by Baltasar Komakur.  The film is 'based on the 1996 disastrous expedition to scale Mount Everest. Three different expeditions were hit by a sudden blinding storm and by the time it was all over, eight climbers died. The tale was first made famous by Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, his first-person account of being among the lucky ones to make it back down the mountain. This film will be sourced from various books and interviews with survivors.' Whether this means that Jake has to eat someone is as yet unknown. 

More details come from the Guardian: Clarke is being sought to play New Zealand climber Rob Hall, leader of one of the teams, while Gyllenhaal is set to play Scott Fischer, his opposite number with the other expedition. Brolin is in line to play a doctor named Beck Weathers, who is forced to spend a night on Everest, while Hawkes (The Sessions) will be cast as a slow climber who causes his team to be late setting out on their journey up the peak. The project was previously in play with Christian Bale as Hall, but the British-born actor no longer seems to be involved. Kormákur hopes to shoot the film in Iceland in October.'

So back to Iceland! Clearly, Jake's efforts with Bear Grylls for Man vs Wild has given Jake a taste for extreme adventure and one can bet that Everest will not be all CGI.

Confirmation that Jake was leaving Into the Woods came from The Wrap which reported that the filming schedule of Nightcrawler in early October meant that Jake would have no time to romp in the woods. Instead, Jake will play a' small-time Los Angeles criminal who gets a little too swept up in the nocturnal world of the city's crime journalism community'. I think I prefer the singing in the woods... 

As for Everest, let's just hope we get a glimpse behind the goggles... Thanks to IHJ for the pics!

A WDW Roman Interlude

Last weekend I returned from Rome having had a fantastic time, leaving no Roman ruin unexplored and no wine unsampled. As well as photos, I also brought back with me the longest and hottest English heatwave in several years. So, here are a few images from my week among the ruins in the Eternal City and Ostia, Rome's ancient port.

Until the next time!

Jake Gyllenhaal celebrates Independence Day in the Kitchen, Prisoners gets a UK release date and a WDW Interlude

In the US it is, of course,the Independence Day holiday weekend. This does not mean that aliens invade the country's cities while cigar-smoking heroes blast them to smithereens under the direction of Roland Emmerich. But it does mean a chance to celebrate freedom from British rule while shedding tears over having to call chips fries and crisps chips. It appears that Jake Gyllenhaal is spending the holiday (or at least part of it) in one of his very favourite places - Martha's Vineyard. We know how Jake spent his summer holidays as a teen helping out in restaurants on the islandd, it looks as though he's doing the same thing now. Every penny helps. It's possible that my eyes deceive me, but isn't that Jake's old friend, Chris? Photo thanks to IHJ.

With thanks to Mermon for the heads up, we have release dates for Prisoners and it looks like some of us won't have to wait as long as normal. The film is out in the US on 20 September but now has the release date in the UK of 4 October - just a fortnight later. Good news! Although, as we know, these things have a habit of changing.

Incidentally, if you're in the UK and have LoveFilm Instant, I believe that Prince of Persia is now available to watch.

WDW Interlude

The weather has been hot and muggy this week which doesn't just mean that Wimbledon can behave itself and get the games played but that events don't get rained off for a change. Last weekend we attended the Chalke Valley History Festival in deepest Wiltshire, although most of our day visit was spent queuing up in a very hot car waiting to get in while catching glimpses of a WW1 dog fight being fought above our heads, through the tree canopy... When we eventually got it, there were historical experts to see, London mayors to laugh at, bubbles to drink and cakes to eat.

Below are the very familiar faces of Tom Holland and Dan Snow.

Mayor of London Boris got the chair.

On the way home we passed a small church I had to stop an photograph.

I'm off to Rome for a few days on Monday so it's a near certainty that photos will follow of a bunch of old stones...

A new poster and trailer for Prisoners and Jake Gyllenhaal drops out of Mississippi Grind

The good news this week comes in the shape of a second trailer for Prisoners (via Rope of Silicon) and a poster (via IHJ) that would look good on any wall... (see below)



But brace yourselves - there is some less than good news in Gyllendom today. Jake Gyllenhaal is now not Mississippi bound. His place in Mississippi Grind, which seemed so sure, is now taken by Ryan Reynolds - more details here. This is a big surprise because Jake wasn't just set to act in the film, he was also down to produce it, with filming due to start any day. In fact, filming was supposed to have begun in the spring. Clearly, something wasn't right. Does Jake have something else planned for the summer? Or is he biding his time, planning new projects, while he waits to promote An Enemy and Prisoners later this year. It's unlikely that Into the Woods will take much of Jake's time so we must and see what happens. It is a disappointment.

Talking of An Enemy and Prisoners, the speculation has begun about the content for this season's festivals. With thanks to a commentor for the tip, Hitfix predicts that Prisoners and An Enemy will both feature at Venice (28 August - 7 September) even though they are expected to appear at Toronto (5 - 15 September). Films, actors and directors can and do appear at both festivals, as we know from Brokeback for example.  Playlist adds that An Enemy is expected to have a Venice premiere. Whereas Venice's rules insist that films must premiere at the festival, Toronto is less rigid, again supporting the speculation that both could show at Venice and Toronto. It certainly looks as if both could show in Toronto so the question is will they, and Jake, first make an appearance in Venice?



Buzz surrounds Jake for writers - the author of Revenge Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger, is keen to see Jake work with Anne Hathaway if her sequel to Devil Wears Prada grows movie wings. “Jake Gyllenhaal!” the 36-year-old tells Magic FM. “I love him and I love Anne and Jake’s on-screen chemistry." No doubt about that at all.

Into the Woods gets a release date, Maggie promotes White House Down and a WDW Jane Austen Interlude

All is quiet in the land of Jake Gyllendom following the excitement of the award shows a week ago. Jake is back in NYC where he has been enjoying the sunshine on bike and on foot. The paps have been just a step or two behind. The confirmations continue that Jake is indeed signed up to the Disney musical Into the Woods, alongside his End of Watch co-star, the extremely overloaded with talent Anna Kendrick. The film also has a release date for the US - 25 December 2014. What a Chrimbo present! Thanks very much to IHJ for the photos!

Maggie, meanwhile, has been busy promoting White House Down which opens in the US next week (and in the UK on the distant 6 September). The film is, of course, directed by a man with many Gyllenhaalinks - Roland Emmerich.
 


WDW Jane Austen Interlude

Last week, we took a trip into the beautiful countryside of Hampshire to take a look at the village of Chawton, the home of Jane Austen, the place in which she wrote Pride and Prejudice. It's a stunning house, a modest home for a rector's family, filled with memories. It's also full of evocative objects - lace crafted by Jane, her tiny table at which she wrote, her  treasured objects and those of her family, her handmade gifts to nieces. Dresses of the day are recreated and the rooms look as Jane would have known them. The village itself is gorgeous, with the picture postcard cottages almost on top of one another. You can almost imagine the talk going on behind windows, in gardens, on country walks and at balls that fills these wonderful novels.

In the village churchyard, you can pay your respects to Jane's sister and mother. Jane is buried in Winchester Cathedral.

Next to the church is the grand Chawton House that was owned by Jane's brother. No doubt Jane would have attended balls here just as Elizabeth Bennett did in her local grand house, very possibly based upon this one.

UPDATED UPDATE! Jake Gyllenhaal, a giraffe, Jeff Bridges and the Big Lebowski

Tony's Updates:

Updated update updated! here, as we all hoped, is Jake presenting at the Guy's Choice awards wearing a very cunning disguise.... Thanks so much,. Stephanie!


Updated update! With huge thanks to IHJ here are the videos of Jake on stage and backstage last night.





Here's a video of Jake arriving at the Tony's last night. Hopefully there will be more - updates and updated updates will be updated!



On with the post...

It is a truth universally acknowledge that Gyllenhaalics spend a considerable amount of their time giving Jake tips about the hair on his head and face. It would seem that he is more in need of our advice than ever.

But no. Jake hasn't been mixing miracle hair growth powders in his milk, nor was he snapped on the way to do the schoolrun (an activity undertaken by 98% of people in their pyjamas), he was presenting Jeff  Bridges with his Original Dude Award at the Spike TV Guys Choice Awards held in LA yesterday. Jake was in a cunning disguise as Jeff's famous creation the Big Lebowski. I don't know about you but I was fooled for a while. The awards will air on Spike TV on Wednesday. This is one routine, I am desperate to see!

I think the giraffe is a nice touch. I might be wrong but I think this is the first time I've ever posted a photo of Jake in a wig with no trousers on next to a giraffe.

Jake didn't scrub up to be photographed with the giraffe but he did for Amy Adams.

Thanks to IHJ for the great pics! There are more there.

But it's back to NYC for Jake now, to present at the Tony Awards tonight. His seat is waiting for him. The post will be updated tomorrow with photos from that event. Even if Jake wears his smartest suit, it might be hardfor the Tony's to top the giraffe. Photo source.