What a night! Source Code premiered in Austin, Texas, and Jake Gyllenhaal was back on the red carpet, along with Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Duncan Jones and writer Ben Ripley. There's a huge amount to catch up with and so this post is a preliminary report. There will be more to come. But now it's time to dive in to a night of Source Code goodies.
I particularly liked this first interview with Jake, in which he talks about how fans can be inspired by a movie and can develop its ideas further. This took me right back to 2006.
You can read Jake's words here. “What I think is cool about Source Code Mission is that the idea of the source code in the movie is that it’s a computer game, and you know, off that computer game, different tangents are created,” Gyllenhaal told WebProNews. “And you affect the world as a result of that game. And the computer game that’s actually in reality – this reality – that’s on the Internet – is that same sort of idea, and is a tangent off the movie – that you can actually create other realities, and based on where you are, and the potential for the game is…just beginning now, but I think the user will create whatever it’s supposed to be.”
“To me, normally, you have a lot of games with movies [as] a way of marketing movies, and this feels like a way of creatively telling another story based on the story that was already told,” he added. “I just have all of these crazy, amazing ideas based on it, because what if we can get people on the Internet involved in the story after they’ve seen – or even before they’ve seen the movie, but particularly after they’ve seen the movie, there are so many possibilities…the possibilities are endless…”
I've purposefully avoided reviews of the film but there are lots of photos around of the Q&A that followed the screening. KVUE has a couple of galleries - of the whole gang, of Just Jake. They also have a video from the red carpet.
Here Jake, Michelle and Vera talk about being in Austin: '“This is not my first time in Austin. I love this city,” said actor Jake Gyllenhaal... “I already had a bike ride this morning. Would like to hit up some of the food trucks around town. Whatever I can run into. That's what I love about Austin,” Gyllenhaal said. “This is my first time in Austin...really happy to be here,” said Monaghan. “I'm going to go for a run around the lake tomorrow. I'm really excited about that actually.” Faniga said, “I'm excited to do some exploring, eat some fabulous food, listen to some great music.”'
'“We're opening the film festival with a movie I'm really excited about," Monaghan said. "And some guy named Jake Gyllenhaal. He's all right.”'
It was exciting last night following events on Twitter - there were some thrilled tweeters about, capturing photos of Jake and Michelle during their Unscripted interview for Moviefone. Here are some links to just a few: tweet 1, tweet 2, tweet 3, tweet 4, the theatre, and this great picture from a meet and greet with Jake. One can get slightly over enthusiastic though... ahem.
Many, many thanks to IHJ, who has done a magnificent job and so quickly! There are many more pictures there. I must say that Vera Farmiga looks absolutely sensational and I love Duncan's t-shirt! Duncan showed Moon at SXSW back in 2009 and it was clear that he was glad to be back at this his favourite festival.
The panel takes place today and so there will be details of that later as well as, no doubt, much, much more from last night as the hours go by. So stay tuned.
And finally...
Going off in a completely different tangent, we have our first taster of Jake on Shalom Sesame...
Jake Gyllenhaal is, you may have noticed, quite a foodie. So much so, anyone else who ate out that much would be wider than they are tall. It's only appropriate then that Jake should be involved with a food charity. Last night, the Edible Schoolyard hosted a private dinner in New York City with chef Alice Waters as guest of honour. And there at the head of the menu is a particularly tasty morsel - Jake Gyllenhaal.
For $1000, diners not only drank cocktails for a good cause, their appetite was given a boost by mingling with Jake Gyllenhaal. Very fortunately, a tweeter at the party captured an image of Jake and Alice Waters (a longtime heroine of his) together. Many thanks to Julie. As you can see, Jake also brought the Face Pet along but it was very well behaved and even looks like it may have had a trim.
Shalom Jake
The DVDs are now being released bit by bit for Shalom Sesame. Jake is one of several well known faces to appear in the series, which introduces children to Jewish culture and Israel. I'm not sure yet which episode will feature Jake - not one of the first to be released - but, in the meantime, we have a taster. Last seen in the Street with an octopus stuck on his head, we now get another look at Jake as he was then. In one of the scenes - and you won't be surprised - Jake appears to be chewing.
A very attractive make romantic
Last not seen naked on the Love and Other Drugs poster, Ed Zwick has been talking some more about his much anticipated movie. 'Part of my job is to be aware of what actors are out there and what they're doing, look at their work. I'd seen Annie do Jonathan Demme's movie ("Rachel Getting Married") and I'd seen her do Shakespeare in the Park, and she was really fantastic and brave and ambitious artistically. And Jake had done this movie a friend of mine wrote called "Jarhead," and I'd seen his work before that. I got to know him a little bit and realized that to know him was to have (witnessed) something that movie audiences hadn't necessarily seen, which is the depth of his charm and his humor and this very attractive male romantic... and I felt, "Oh hey, you know what? I'm going to show that to people." Because it's there.'
...But Mills and Boon readers think Simon Cowell is sexier than Jake and Gyllenhaal and Johnny Depp and that Jeremy Clarkson is only slightly down the hot list than Jake! 'The mega-rich X Factor supremo secured 17% of the vote among swooning females who named him as their ultimate hero in a Mills And Boon book. Simon edged ahead of actors Johnny Depp and Jake Gyllenhaal, who each secured 12%, while Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson came fourth with 10%.' I know, I didn't believe it either but you can read the whole sorry tale here.
Jake and Kathryn Bigelow
Variety reported today: 'After "The Hurt Locker," it's not surprising that actors want to work with Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal on their next project, but even for jaded Hollywood, the roster of actors they've been meeting with is impressive. Will Smith, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Christian Bale, Javier Bardem and Jake Gyllenhaal have either asked Bigelow and Boal for a look at the script or taken meetings to discuss the film.' I have to say, it's hardly surprising.
But it's good to know Jake's hungry for a good script.
We've had quite a wait for Jake Gyllenhaal to pull that octopus off his head, but finally today Jake's Sesame Street aired and, with so many thanks to IHJ, we can all now see that little purple sucker get its comeuppance. I think we'd all agree that a twisted tentacle is a small price to pay for such an attachment. It's a spooky coincidence but whenever I've thought of the word 'separate' the image of an octopus stuck on someone's head is always the first thing that comes to my mind. Representatives for both Jake Gyllenhaal and octopus have yet to confirm if the separation is pemanent.
And here is Maggie with her word. Surprise!
This of course means the end to some people's dedicated daily Sesame Street vigilance - for those people the word on the street is 'Hooray!' Thanks Stephanie!
Updated to add the UK trailer for Brothers which is very different from the US version, right down to the music. Lionsgate has now added it to YouTube.
If ever a photograph of Jake Gyllenhaal deserved a new post, it's this one. Simply stunning - many thanks to IHJ for finding this.
Another new image of Jake, this time with more ostrich octopus, reminds us that the new anniversary season of Sesame Street is underway, with a chance that Jake may feature today briefly. But then we thought that about yesterday too. I think we're in this for the long haul, but just think how it will benefit our spelling. Thanks to BBMISwear for finding this! I still marvel at how someone thought that pulling an octopus off Jake's head was a handy definition of 'separate'.
Brothers meanwhile continues its softly, softly progress towards release. Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere has been lamenting the lack of screenings just like the rest of us but he has heard a whisper: 'I'm told there's some kind of "special screening" in Manhattan slated for 11.22, and an L.A. premiere screening set for 12.1. Sheridan is currently in Toronto preparing to shoot Dream House, a psychological thriller with Daniel Craig starring. He flies to Ireland tomorrow and returns to this side of the pond a week or so later.'
With all these projects coming together, here's a reminder (as if we need one) that not everything comes to pass. The enormous variety of Jake's roles cannot fail to catch attention, as is reflected in this interesting article about 'Why Hollywood's Hardest-Working Actord Deserves an Oscar'.
A little film opens this week - 2012 (The Film With The Trailer as I like to think of it). One of its stars Amanda Peet has spoken of why she took the job: 'Question: So, was it the overall nature of the film that appealed to you? Peet: Well, I thought the script was a page-turner, and I thought that it had some nice character moments, even though it was this big action movie. And then I called Jake Gyllenhaal, and I said, "What's it like to work with Roland Emmerich?" And he said, "It's a dream. Go - run, right away, and go work with him." And he was right. Because he's so lovely, and so easy and so supportive and gentle.' And Jake's not bad either.
Updated to add a slightly different version of the anecdote from Parade: '"I e-mailed Jake Gyllenhaal, who was in Day After Tomorrow, before I signed on. I said, 'Is Roland Emmerich great or is he a nightmare? Tell me the truth because life is short and I need to know what's up.' And Jake replied, 'He is the most divine, great person to work for ever and you should run and do it.'"'
[Update: Just saw this tweet: 'i will meet Jake Gyllenhaal and Toby Mcguire on Sunday at special Brothers movie premiere, that are my wknd plans ;)' By the sound of it this event (a media screening of sorts?) will be in LA. It would be good to know more - well, there's an understatement. Jim's spoken about premieres in NYC and Ireland - let's hope we hear soon.]
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear - this is a very naughty octopus indeed. I would like to hope that no Jake Gyllenhaal was harmed during the making of this video. No wonder that octopus has a smile on its face....
It may be worth noting that Jake's word in the video is 'separate' and, according to the Sesame Street episode guide, that word features on December 4. Hmmmm.... And doesn't a certain film come out on December 4? Many thanks to Stephanie at IHJ for finding this gem. And it taught me to spell a word - bonus!
Maggie was also given a surprise...
Time to Play a Game
Thanks to the new Brothers trailer that was released yesterday we have a Spot the Difference game!
Many thanks to IHJ for the screen caps and for Stephanie's eagle eyes!
Updated to add new official stills from Disney for the Prince of Persia. Source.
Carey Mulligan, star of An Education and as good as Oscared according to many critics, spoke a little about Brothers to the Independent today: 'In the UK, however, she will next be seen alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman in Jim Sheridan's Brothers. A US remake of the Danish film by Susanne Bier, it's been in post-production for some time. Mulligan notes "it feels like a million years ago" since she made it. She plays the wife of a soldier accidentally killed by Maguire's character. "It's a small part but Jim's very playful, and he slotted me into lots of the rest of the movie. We improvised that scene more than it was written. He's such an amazing film-maker. I want to work with him and play a bigger part, if I'm lucky enough, because he's so amazing. In America is one of my favourite movies."'
[Update] You go two years with very little new Jake stuff and then it all happens in a week! We now have a video of Jake Gyllenhaal singing - repeat, SINGING - as part of Sesame Street's birthday celebrations. You can watch the video here!
If this doesn't put a smile on your face, nothing will - and then you can cool off with the Jake in a Towel pic from the new Brothers trailer below. It's all too much.... Many, many thanks to Stephanie from IHJ, she found this one during our swap of videos this evening! Jake's in this more than once, so keep watching. Make sure you watch the end!
New Brothers Trailer
We have been crying out for publicity for Brothers and today we have a new trailer. It's shorter than the first, but it has new scenes in it, new levels of tension and excitement. It also has snowball fights and, deep breaths, a scene with Jake Gyllenhaal straight out of the shower, just as we asked for almost two years ago - Jim, you heard us!
While Prince of Persia is well on course for its May release, Jake Gyllenhaal's other movie Nailed has had more of a (how to put it politely) bumpy road to release or oblivion. But today we have news! Nailed is going to be up for sale in Cannes next year and that means they're gonna have to finish it - and there are funds to do just that. One can't help but think that Nailed's chances of success can't be hurt by Cannes almost coinciding with the release of Prince of Persia.
'There are other movies Bergstein's companies did finance that might be releasable, including "Nailed," a $33 million production directed by David O. Russell and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessica Biel and Tracy Morgan. "Nailed" was shut down several times during production by SAG and the DGA, but Bergstein resolved the concerns of those guilds. Matthew Rhodes, a producer on "Nailed," said there are funds for postproduction, and "Nailed" will be offered to domestic distributors and international buyers next year at Cannes. He called the movie "fantastic" and "wonderful."' You can read all the background information here.
Prince of Persia is out in May next year but it could just as well be next month judging by the amount of publicity surrounding it this week. Brothers actually is out next month and we get a new picture courtesy of EW. Actually, there are three pictures but only one has Jake in it. Judging by the photo, it would seem that Tommy is not only holding the family together, he's also painting the house. Very handy.
Natalie Portman features graphically in V magazine for December and in it we are promised that she will discuss Brothers. Can we have Tommy on a magazine cover, too?
Let us hope that this is the sign of more to come. Please!
Meanwhile, if you didn't see last night's post, do check it out for the Jordan Mechner commentary to the PoP trailer and for the links to the Jordan and Jerry Bruckheimer Q&As. It also features a little of this...
Pictures from links.
It's Bonfire Night - A note to ask everyone to check for hedgehogs before lighting the fires!!! Elmo and Big Bird wouldn't like them getting toasted.... neither would Jake's octopus friend.
[Update] I've updated the post tonight with two videos that present the Prince of Persia trailer accompanied by a truly fascinating commentary by PoP creator Jordan Mechner, courtesy of IGN. It will make you want to see the film more than ever.
Lots going on today! So settle down and let's crack on - trailers to watch and all that... First off, the answer to a question that has long perplexed me and no doubt you as well - how do you make an octopus smile? Give him/her/it Jake Gyllenhaal to hug, that's how. I have pictorial proof (David Attenborough, watch and learn). It's not everyday you see Jake with an octopus. Can I put in a request for a seadragon?
Jake has not taken up deep sea diving (as far as I know), this is another teaser from Sesame Street which begins its 40th anniversary season next week. It is very possible, indeed likely, that Jake may feature on the opening birthday special on 10 November, along with Michelle Obama and some other starry and furry people. So keep your eyes peeled and, if you're an octopus, crossed. This would hopefully be in addition to another Jakecentric episode to follow...
The PoP Q&As
You may have noticed that we had a Prince of Persia trailer or two this week. That was (and may Lionsgate make notes for Brothers) Phase One. Phase Two is the release today of the Q&As with Jerry Bruckheimer and Jordan Mechner that we were promised. (Phase Three looks to be reports from the filmset recorded last summer and released next week - stay tuned.) This section of the post is illustrated with IHJ's amazing screencaps!
Jake impresses as the Prince
'So, why did you choose Jake Gyllenhaal for this role? Mechner: I can talk about why I think Jake is great in the role. I know that he is really into the games and took that very seriously. Bruckheimer: He trained very hard for this film. He really transformed his body. He really did. He worked really hard. He trained every single day for months, and all during filming he was training to physically look like the character. So I think that is a big part of what he was doing in his look. Mechner: I know he was speaking with a British accent in between takes. At the end of my first day on set, driving back to base camp, I saw him jogging. After this long day of 125 degree heat, he went for a jog. He had more muscles than his stunt doubles.'
'But as far as the role, as far as who the Prince is: to me the Prince of Persia has always been a swashbuckling hero in the vein of Indiana Jones, Doug Fairbanks, Errol Flynn. He is not like the kind of video game hero who is out to vanquish all his enemies. He has got like an intelligence, a mischievous streak. Sort of an underdog. He has got a vulnerability. I think Jake just embodies all those qualities and captured them in a way that is very appealing.' Joystiq.
'Bruckheimer: I always thought he was... I still think he is a huge movie star. [He's one of those guys who can be a huge hero], romantic hero. He's handsome, he's a wonderful actor. I've always wanted to work with him. We got very lucky that he A) liked the material and B) was available to do it. There was no other choice.'
'Q: Can you talk about some of the physical training that he had to go through? Bruckheimer: A lot. I mean, he really worked hard. He worked for months and months before the movie started. He trained every single day. He rode bikes, he lifted weights, he had a very specific diet. He couldn't have any fats, and it was really a lot of protein, and all during filming, he was working in 120 degree heat. Jordan said he saw him, after a long day, around 7 at night taking a jog, running, so he kept it up through the whole movie. He had a trainer with him both here and in Morocco working with him to make sure he really kept his physical appearance the way he wanted it to be.' ComingSoon.
'Q: The casting of Jake Gyllenhaal seemed to upset some people. What did you think of his performance, and what aspects of the prince does he bring out well? Mechner: That kind of gets back to "who is the prince?" To me—and this goes back to the original game—to me, the Prince of Persia has always been a hero in the mold of Errol Flynn in Robin Hood, or Doug Fairbanks in The Thief of Baghdad, or Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. He's not this invincible warrior who is out looking for enemies to vanquish. He's more of an underdog. He fights with a sword, but he lives by his wits. He's got this sort of mischievous quality, this certain attitude and humor about him, and a vulnerability as well. You can see why the girl falls in love with him. I think Jake embodies all those qualities and captures them in a really appealing way. I think that comes through in the trailer as well. The action-hero side of the role, Jake took that very seriously. He did a lot of training, horseback riding, sword fighting, parkour, and he actually did a lot of his own stunts to a degree that movie stars usually don't. He's in fantastic shape, he worked really hard, so I think he makes a great Prince of Persia.' Nintendo World Report.
'Bruckheiemer: When he's jumping across the rooftops, that's all real. A lot of the stuff that's falling on him is all CGI but all the roof stuff, all the rooftops is all real stuff. Q: And climbing the arrows? Bruckheimer: That is a set. Q: But he's doing it. Bruckheimer: Yes, he's doing it on the set.' ComingSoon.
The women flipped...
'Bruckheimer: This is so unique, so fresh and different. We just loved the character that Jordan created. So it takes you back to old ancient periods. The movie when you see it, it's like an old-fashioned, romantic adventure film. That's really what it is. It's like a "Lawrence of Arabia" with this kind of supernatural element added to it. But it's really a wonderful biblical story about jealousy. It goes back to all the primal fears and conflicts through history, so it embellishes upon interesting things. We found, we tested the movie a few weeks ago. It tested extraordinarily high. It surprised me because I always think these things are going to fail but this one turned out great. The women, I was surprised, I thought we made a terrific movie for the boys, but the women flipped over this film. I've never had a score where the parents, and there is violence, it's PG-13, the parents rated the film 100% excellent or very good which never happens. So it's one of these movies that we know they'll take their children to go see it which is a huge advantage for a film if the parents think it's cool that the kids can see it.' ComingSoon.
Speaking as a flipping woman I'd say that Jerry clearly hadn't reckoned on the GyllenFactor...
Staying true to the spirit of the game
'Mechner: I think it is more lighthearted than some of the games, but I feel like it is true to the Sands of Time, the 2003 game, which is really the one that the movie screenplay is most based on. I feel like it is very true to the spirit of the game; to a lot of kind of the action. It is really ... the plot itself is different.... But the first time I saw a rough assembly of Jake as Prince Dastan running on the rooftops with arrows being shot at him and swinging, I just got this big smile on my face that wouldn't go away, because I just felt like it was ... like what I saw in my imagination when I played the game, back when the character was 40 pixels high and his face was four pixels square, but seeing it like real in visceral in the best way.' Joystiq.
Other stuff
Jordan Mechner's original vision of Prince of Persia was inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark, which featured Alfred Molina in an opening key sequence. He therefore has a very happy place in Prince of Persia.
There are no sand monsters. This is possibly a good thing because I've had trouble with them in the game. There are no boss fights - thank heavens.
There will probably be a Disney ride (with full size Jake models???). There will be future games. No sequel has been written, but who knows? Jake seems to have a feel of the games and is no doubt better at it than Jerry has started but not finished, which is more my level.
No news on the ostrich or camel front.
And we still have six months plus to wait - I have a feeling it will be packed full and fly by - so long as that dagger has nothing to do with it.
