Cannes Report, Day 2: Tom Hardy Apologizes to ‘Mad Max’ Director, ‘The Office’ Upgrades to Big Screen
“Fury Road” star admits to daily frustration and George Miller’s genius; Ricky Gervais rides again with BBC, Entertainment One
Matt Donnelly | May 14, 2015 @ 8:11 AM
Last Updated: May 14, 2015 @ 8:35 AM
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Hollywood yawned, stretched and then hit the luxurious pavements of the French Riviera on Thursday, one step closer to aligning with a new time zone as day two of the Cannes Film Festival got underway. Never underestimate the power of a good night’s rest — it can humble the likes of Tom Hardy.
Turning up for a photo call and press conference for “Mad Max: Fury Road,” Hardy apologized for his long-rumored frustration on the set of the desert epic.
“For seven months, I think the most complicated or most frustrating thing was trying to know what George wanted me to do at any given minute so I could fully transmute his vision,” Hardy told reporters.
“Because he’s orchestrating such a huge vehicle, literally, in so many departments, because the all the vehicles are moving and the whole movie is just motion, I have to apologize to you [looking at Miller] because I got frustrated. There was no way that George could have explained what he could see in the sand when we were out there … I knew he was brilliant, but I didn’t quite know how brilliant.”
They cleared the air just in time — the film opens wide in the U.S. on Friday. As for other Day Two action:
Calm Down, A Party Was Had
Coverage of the social scene in Cannes has been fraught with worry over a lack of excessive bashes and the social micro-economy that pops up around major festivals (we’re looking at you, Sundance). The opening night premiere of “Standing Tall” delivered a festive atmosphere and big stars in Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied, a stunning Lupita Nyong’o, Naomi Watts, jury members Jake Gyllenhaal and Sienna Miller and actress and fashion favorite Fan BingBing. While Portman has been whipping up work left and right, her husband Millepied snagged a side gig at the festival: choreographing a ballet performance for revelers at the kick-off inside the Grand Théâtre Lumière.
Still glowing from her Best Actress Academy Award win for “Still Alice,” Julianne Moore turned up on the Croisette with no heavy lifting like selling or promoting a film. Instead, she’s the L’Oreal beauty ambassador, a star who attends the fest every year on behalf of the cosmetics giant.
Notable Deals
Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz will reteam after a memorable turn in Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” in EuropaCorp’s “Escobar,” TheWrap has learned. EuropaCorp will finance, distribute and produce the drama based on Virginia Vallejo’s 2008 best-selling Spanish language memoir “Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar” with Pinguin Films and Dean Nichols Productions. Written and directed by Fernando León de Aranoa (“A Perfect Day”), the film will follow the rise of Pablo Escobar — one of the most powerful drug lords of all time.
Natalie Portman will play Jackie Kennedy in a new biopic, an individual with knowledge of the project has told TheWrap, and producers are currently shopping the script in Cannes. “Jackie” will be directed by Oscar-nominated Chilean director Pablo Larrain (“No”), and will examine the first lady’s life in the four days immediately following President Kennedy’s assassination. Darren Aronofsky is set to produce. He previously directed Portman to an Oscar win for her performance in his ballet drama “Black Swan.”
“The Office” will get a feature film treatment courtesy of BBC Films and Entertainment One. Ricky Gervais’ iconic character David Brent, which inspired Steve Carrell’s American take, will ride again with a script about the former office manager attempting to self-finance a tour for his rock band.
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American rights to Kore-eda Hirokazu’s “Our Little Sister” (“Umimachi Diary”), one of the first films to screen in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, from France’s WildBunch. The deal was announced by SPC on Thursday after the earliest screenings of the film but before its official Cannes premiere that night.
19 Cannes Movies On the Radar: Hot Titles, Must-See Picks (Photos)
"Carol," directed by Todd Haynes. Set in 1950s New York, a department store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman. With Cate Blanchett, Kyle Chandler and Rooney Mara.
Number 9 Films
"Chronic," directed by Michel Franco. The movie is about a home care nurse who works with terminally ill patients. With Tim Roth and Claire van der Boom.
Stromboli Films
"The Assassin," directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien. The martial arts film is set during China's Tang Dynasty period.
Well Go USA Entertainment
"Macbeth," directed by Justin Kurzel. The movie, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name, stars Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard and Sean Harris.
See-Saw Films
"The Lobster," directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. In a dystopian near future, single people are obliged to find a matching mate in 45 days or are transformed into animals and released into the woods. Starring Rachel Weisz and Colin Farrell.
BFI Film Fund
"Youth," directed by Paolo Sorrentino. A retired orchestra conductor is on holiday with his daughter and her friend in the Alps when he receives an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to perform for Prince Philip's birthday. With Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano and Jane Fonda.
Indigo Film
"Louder than Bombs," directed Joachim Trier. While the plot remains undisclosed, the cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Gabriel Byrne, Isabelle Huppert, David Strathairn and Amy Ryan.
Motlys
"The Sea of Trees," directed by Gus Van Sant. A suicidal American befriends a Japanese man lost in a forest near Mt. Fuji and the two search for a way out. The cast includes Matthew McConaughey, Naomi Watts and Jordan Gavaris.
Bloom
"Sicario," directed by Denis Villeneuve. A young female FBI agent joins a secret CIA operation to take down a Mexican cartel boss, a job that ends up pushing her ethical and moral values to the limit. The movie stars Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro.
Black Label Media
"Son of Saul," directed by Laszlo Nemes. During the Holocaust a prisoner is forced to burn the corpses of his own people, but finds moral salvation upon trying to salvage from the flames the body of a boy he takes for his son.
Laokoon Filmgroup
"La Tête Haute," directed by Emmanulle Bercot. A coming-of-age story, it features stars like Sara Forestier and Catherine Deneuve.
France 2 Cinema
"Irrational Man," directed by Woody Allen. The movie is about a tormented philosophy professor who finds a will to live when he commits an existential act. It stars Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone and Parker Posey.
Gravier Productions
"Love," directed by Gaspar Noe. The film is making waves in Cannes with its raunchy posters, touting a sensual 3D experience about "a boy and a girl and another girl." It stars Karl Glusman, Aomi Muyock and Klara Kristin.
Les Cinemas de la Zone
"A Tale of Love and Darkness," directed by Natalie Portman. Starring and making her directorial debut, Portman's story tells of Amos Oz, a writer, journalist and advocate of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Handsomecharlie Films
"Cemetery of Splendor," directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The film is an Un Certain Regard title about a group of soldiers who suffer a mysterious sleep sickness in Thailand.
Kick the Machine
"Arabian Nights," directed by Miguel Gomes. Clocking in at six hours, the film is billed as an exploration of modern Portugal through fairytale tropes.
O Som e a Furia
“Green Room,” directed by Jeremy Saulnier. This American entry is a racially-charged crime thriller starring Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat and Patrick Stewart.
Broad Green Pictures
“Meditrranea,” directed by Jonas Carpignano. The film is a harrowing story of a Burkinabe man who sacrifices for a better life in Italy, only to be met with intolerance.
Audax Films
"Amy," directed by Asif Kapadia. Easily one of Cannes' buzziest titles, the documentary chronicles the life of troubled British soul singer Amy Winehouse.
Krishwerkz Entertainment
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Cannes 2015: From Gus Van Sant’s “Sea of Trees” starring Matthew McConaughey to Natalie Portman’s directorial debut, “A Tale of Love and Darkness”
"Carol," directed by Todd Haynes. Set in 1950s New York, a department store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman. With Cate Blanchett, Kyle Chandler and Rooney Mara.