Rachel Weisz is set to co-star with Colin Firth in ‘The Railway Man’.

The ‘Deep Blue Sea’ star is in final negotiations to take on the role of Patricia ‘Patti’ Wallace, the second wife of Colin’s character Eric Lomax, a second lieutenant in the Royal Corp of Signals who is captured by the Japanese army in Singapore during World War II.

Eric is sent to a POW camp in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, where he joins thousands of other prisoners and forced to work on the infamous Burma to Siam ‘death railway’ and the bridge over the river Kwai.

The real life story is based on former army officer Eric’s book which details his experiences as a prisoner of war, and how he set out decades later to track down his tormentors and exact some revenge. Patti was responsible for helping him to confront his fears and she also wrote to the man Eric held responsible for his torture.

‘War Horse’ star Jeremy Irvine will play a younger version of Colin’s character during his time in captivity.

Jeremy told the Daily Mail newspaper: “Lomax suffered cruel and horrible treatment. I’ve been studying what happened to him and it was grim.”

Jonathan Teplitzky is directing the film, with Frank Cottrell Bryce and Andy Paterson writing the script.

Teplitzky previously said in a statement: “‘The Railway Man’ is an amazing story and to have the chance to make it with Colin Firth as Eric is really the best gift any director could hope for.”

Paltrow pulled out, as did her replacement Charlize Theron, and the project, backed by Kidman’s Blossom Films company, was due to move forward with Weisz in the role.

Filming was due to begin in Germany last month (Sep11), but the movie has now reportedly been put on hold following the departure of Weisz and director Lasse Hallstrom.

A source tells the Mail on Sunday, “Nicole initially approached Gwyneth Paltrow to play the artist’s wife and fellow artist Gerda Gottlieb, but she was too busy. Charlize Theron then took the role but had to pull out because of scheduling conflicts.

“Rachel Weisz signed up last year but now she’s pulled out and the whole production has been thrown into disarray. Nicole is still determined to make this film, so she’s gone back to the drawing board.”

Source: Hollywood.com

In a white lab coat Weisz, 41, was photographed wearing the label “Sterisyn Morlanta”. Although little is known about Weisz’ character in the film, details about the actors that will appear have started to unravel.

According to The Daily Mail, the movie is being directed by Tony Gilroy and will feature Jeremy Renner, Ed Norton, Joan Allen and a possible return from Albert Finney. Norton will play the villain in the movie, according to bournelegacytrailer.com.

However the star of the other films in the series, Matt Damon will not return for the next installment. Damon spoke about not taking part in the latest film and his place in the Bourne series.

“I have no idea about any of it. You won’t see me in the background of the new one. He’s got a whole other thing that they’re doing and I wish them well and Tony Gilroy’s really smart,” Damon said, according to The Daily Mail. “I’m sure they’re going to be great. All I know is that it doesn’t preclude Paul Greengrass and me from doing another one of ours.”

Although film director Greengrass and actor Damon will not be a part of the latest film, Weisz has proved that she will work hard to be a part of it. She has maintained her commitment with the latest installment, despite starring in two other feature films this year, “Deep Blue Sea” and “Dream House.”

Weisz spoke about her ability to handle the range of roles in a short period of time.

“I like to mix things up,” she said, according to The Daily Mail. “How do I do it? I just do it. The different costumes help a lot.”

The film is slated for an August 2012 debut.

Source: Christianpost.com

IT’S no surprise that Rachel Weisz isn’t worried about getting roles, despite working in an industry obsessed with youth.

At 41, the British star is strikingly beautiful and her career is soaring with Weisz’s performance in The Whistleblower generating strong Oscar buzz.

“I just think that things get easier as you get older and wiser and more experienced,” the mother-of-one says.

“You get more confident about who you are as you get older. I find that really comforting.”

Weisz plays Kathryn Bolkovac in The Whistleblower, which is based on the true story of a US cop who uncovered a sex trafficking scandal while working as a peacekeeper in Bosnia.

The actress has a knack for choosing interesting, dynamic movies. She’s starred in big blockbusters such as The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, and has an Oscar, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award under her belt for best Supporting Actress as Tessa Quayle in 2005′s The Constant Gardener.

But Weisz says she’s very much the reluctant movie star.

“I’m a little fearful of the way your life changes when you become too well known,” she says.

“I’m also fairly reserved and it’s quite embarrassing to deal with that kind of attention. I’d rather float about anonymously. I don’t really think of myself as a sex symbol or a celebrity at all.”

It’s this reluctance at being a celebrity that is behind Weisz keeping her relationship and marriage to 43-year-old James Bond star, Daniel Craig, a closely guarded secret. The couple got together on the set of The Dream House in December last year, a month after it was announced she had split with her partner of 10 years, US director Darren Aronofsky.

They revealed they had been apart for months but were remaining friends for their son, five-year-old Henry Chance.

Meanwhile, Craig was also emerging from a long term relationship – he also announced in November he had split from Satsuki Mitchell, 32, whom he had been engaged to since 2007.

Weisz and Craig had been friends for years, but romance blossomed on the set of the film, which is due for release in December and also stars Naomi Watts.

After a whirlwind courtship they tied the knot in front of just four guests at their low-key ceremony in New York in June.

Weisz doesn’t talk openly about their relationship, but she reveals it’s only recently (since she has been with Craig) she has felt more at ease with herself.

“For a long time I was quite shy and conflicted about my life, and it’s only lately that I’ve started to feel freer and become more open to enjoying life,” she said. “That’s made me become more serious about my work.”

The role of Bolkovac is definitely serious, but it’s something Weisz relished.

She says she researched the part with a plenty of reading and watching documentaries and although she didn’t meet someone who had been trafficked, she did get to meet the real Kathy Bolkovac.

“I got to hang out with her and channel her spirit,” she says.

Weisz says she loved the chance to play a character based on a real woman.

“I’m immensely moved and inspired. And to know that there are real heroines on Earth, I’m very inspired by that.”

The controversial subject matter even stirred up a negative backlash in the UN, which is not portrayed in a particularly favourable light in the film.

What next for Weisz? She has touched on the possibility she may be thinking about having another child with Craig.

In a recent interview with US magazine Lucky she revealed: “Oh, I wouldn’t make one just for the sake of giving my son a sibling. But you never know.”

Her son Henry plays an important part in her acting decisions. “I have a child now, so you have to be able to go deep into something and then switch off at the end of the day,” she said. “It’s the only way to remain sane.”

She was originally offered the role of Bolkovac when she was pregnant with her son and it was due to him she initially turned it down.

“I was pregnant. Very pregnant. And I read it and thought it was one of the most incredible stories and scripts I had ever read,” she said.

“But it was too challenging and traumatic to engage in at that moment. Because of my physical state. I just couldn’t get my head around it. But I couldn’t forget it. I guess I was just haunted by the story. I contacted them about it again, two years later.”

If she does have another baby with her Craig, Weisz could be having to make that decision to hold off on a role again in the very near future.

The Whistleblower is now showing.

Terence Davies’ “The Deep Blue Sea,” starring Rachel Weisz, has been acquired by Music Box Films for U.S. distribution. The drama premiered last week at the Toronto International Film Festival and will close the London Film Festival before opening in the U.K. on November 25.

The film marks Music Box’s first English language film buy. The company’s recent slate includes the original Dragon Tattoo trilogy and Francois Ozon’s comedy “Potiche.”

In the drama, adapted from the 1952 play by Terence Rattigan, Weisz plays the wife of high court judge who leaves him to move in with a young pilot.

MUSIC BOX ACQUIRES US RIGHTS TO TERENCE DAVIES’ THE DEEP BLUE SEA

In a deal closed prior to its final public screening in Toronto, Terence Davies’ THE DEEP BLUE SEA, starring Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener, The Whistleblower), Olivier Award winner Tom Hiddleston (Spielberg’s War Horse, Thor) and BAFTA and Olivier Award-winning theatre actor Simon Russell Beale (An Ideal Husband, London Assurance), has been acquired by Music Box Films, who have taken US rights from Protagonist Pictures.

THE DEEP BLUE SEA is Music Box’s first acquisition of an English language film. In a swift move following the world premiere, they fended off competition from at least three other bidders, and the deal was concluded by Protagonist Pictures CEO Ben Roberts and Music Box’s Managing Director Ed Arentz.  Music Box Films’ recent slate includes the original Dragon Tattoo trilogy, which collectively registered nearly $22 million in US theatrical box office receipts.

Ed Arentz commented: “We, and the audience who saw the film at its world premiere screening, were entranced from the opening frames, and by the end there was an inescapable sense that we had witnessed a major work. Timeless and nostalgic, classical and very modern, achingly emotional and serene, it seems a perfect marriage of source material, Terence Davies’ directorial vision and riveting lead performances highlighted by an incandescent Rachel Weisz. We’re thrilled with the opportunity to share this masterpiece with US audiences.”

Hot on the heels of the film’s Toronto premiere THE DEEP BLUE SEA screens in competition at San Sebastian, followed by the Closing Night gala at the London Film Festival, prior to its UK release on 25th November 2011 with Artificial Eye.

THE DEEP BLUE SEA, adapted from the 1952 play by Terence Rattigan, sees Terence Davies’ return to the big screen.  His most recent film, the documentary Of Time And The City, was an affectionate look at his childhood city Liverpool, but he is best known for the semi-autobiographical Distant Voices Still Lives and The Long Day Closes, and the subsequent The House of Mirth.

THE DEEP BLUE SEA is produced by Sean O’Connor, a passionate advocate of Rattigan who worked in the theatre with the play’s original director, and Kate Ogborn (Under The Skin, The Unloved). They commented: “We are genuinely thrilled to be working with Music Box Films on the US release of THE DEEP BLUE SEA. They are the perfect match for us, having an acutely attuned vision for drama of the very highest quality. Their great recent successes speak for themselves and we’re both hugely excited to join forces with such an innovative and passionate distributor.”

Rachel Weisz plays the wife of a high court judge who, shockingly in her 1950s milieu, leaves her husband to move in with a dashing young ex-RAF pilot, with whom she has fallen passionately in love.  The film explores the nature of love and the lines drawn between love and passion.

Tania Seghatchian of the BFI Film Fund said: “We are delighted that THE DEEP BLUE SEA has secured such a swift US distribution deal. The rapturous response from the Toronto film festival and particularly key US critics has been fantastic and we look forward to Music Box Films ensuring that Terence’s work connects with new audiences and old fans alike.”

Katherine Butler of Film4 added: “We are delighted with the wonderful reception THE DEEP BLUE SEA has so deservedly had in Toronto, and are thrilled to be starting a new relationship with Music Box Films. Their palpable passion for, and understanding of, this beautiful film will ensure the audience in the US have the best possible opportunity to experience Terence’s vision”.

THE DEEP BLUE SEA is a Camberwell/Fly Film Production financed by UK Film Council and Film4 in association with Protagonist Pictures, Lip Sync Productions and Artificial Eye.

Rachel Weisz, Woody Harrelson, Jane Fonda, Seth Rogen, Jennifer Hudson, Anthony Hopkins, Jon Hamm, Michelle Williams and Christopher Plummer all share something in common — and it’s not a publicist.

Although TIFF enjoyed a banner year for film sales — up over 50% from 2010 despite the crummy economy — all of the above starred in high-profile festival entries that failed to land a buyer by the time the final curtain closed.

Which is not to say they won’t subsequently find a distributor in time for awards season, but, these days, an Oscar pedigree and an enthusiastic reception are no longer sufficient to lure market-weary suitors.

Although it starred Oscar winners Rachel Weisz and Anthony Hopkins, 360, directed by The Constant Gardner’s Fernando Meirelles, left the fest without a home.

… Continue reading.

The Deep Blue Sea directed by Terence Davies
An adaptation of the 1952 Terence Rattigan play The Deep Blue Sea about the wife of a Judge who engages in an affair with an RAF pilot.

360 directed by Fernando Meirelles
Director Fernando Meirelles (City of God) reunites with his Constant Gardener star Rachel Weisz, who stars opposite Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, and Ben Foster in this uncompromising dramatic thriller fuelled by the notion of how sexual relationships can transgress social boundaries.

Page Eight directed by David Hare
Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) is an MI5 agent who has learned to keep his observational skills perpetually operational. However, a top secret document containing unsavoury revelations about compromises made by Britain’s government will push Johnny’s professional abilities, as well as his integrity, to their limits.

Visit the official site at TIFF.net for schedule and tickets.

If the player above does not work, you can use this link to see the film.

Bill Nighy and Rachel Weisz’s British spy tale “Page Eight” has been chosen to close next month’s Toronto International Film Festival, one of the world’s biggest cinema showcases.

Co-starring Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon and Judy Davis, “Page Eight” will bring down the curtain on the festival that runs Sept. 8-18.

Other films added to the Toronto lineup Tuesday include Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage’s thriller “Trespass”; Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard’s Winnie Mandela drama “Winnie”; Gerard Butler’s African missionary tale “Machine Gun Preacher’; Jason Statham and Robert De Niro’s action saga “Killer Elite”; and Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy’s comedy “Hysteria.”

Among previously announced Toronto titles is “From the Sky Down,” a portrait of superstar band U2 that will be the first documentary ever to open the festival.