Director Robert Rodriguez has found his dame that someone is bound to kill for as production on the long-in-development Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is now fully underway. Despite early reports that had both Angelina Jolie and Rachel Weisz both in contention for the role of Ava Lord, described by co-director/Sin City creator Frank Miller as “every man’s most glorious dreams come true, she’s also every man’s darkest nightmares,” French actress Eva Green has won the coveted part.
The casting of Green does come as an unexpected surprise – as the best surprises usually tend to be – but she has always been a talented and alluring actress adept at portraying multi-dimensional characters both beautiful and haunted in films such as Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers, Ridley Scott’s underrated 2005 Crusades epic Kingdom of Heaven, and especially in Casino Royale, where she played Vesper Lynd to Daniel Craig in his first (and best until Skyfall was released) time playing James Bond. Recently Green appeared in Tim Burton’s film version of the 1960s Gothic horror soap opera Dark Shadows and is set to appear later this summer in 300: Rise of an Empire. She also played the devious Morgan on the short-lived Starz series Camelot.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Planet Terror), Sin City: A Dame To Kill For is currently filming in Austin, Texas and will see Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, and Jaime King reprising their roles from the 2005 film, Sin City.
Joining the cast are Jamie Chung (Sucker Punch), Dennis Haysbert (The Unit, 24), and Josh Brolin (Gangster Squad) stepping in to replace Devon Aoki, the late Michael Clarke Duncan, and Clive Owen respectively. Brolin isn’t necessarily “replacing” Owen, but rather the character Dwight McCarthy pre-facial reconstruction.
Now, The Playlist has received word that Ray Liotta (Killing Them Softly), Juno Temple (Killer Joe), and Jeremy Piven (Entourage) have joined the cast, alongside Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Christopher Meloni.
Hello There! This is Adam Frazier and you are listening to Skull-Face Island, the official movie podcast of Geeks of Doom! As always I’m joined by Joe Wright’s Secret Lover, David Allen… and the Daniel Plainview to my H.W., producer Tim Grant.
Today on the Show: We’ll discuss Andrew Dominik‘s latest film, Killing Them Softly, and boot-up the Geek-O-Matic TeleFax, which is currently malfunctioning and appears to be print out headlines… FROM THE FUTURE! We’ll also play WHO AM I!? Each of us has a card slapped on our foreheads. On that card is the name of an actor or director – we have no knowledge of who is on this card – and we will be forced to ask questions in order to solve the mystery of… WHO AM I? As always, the Mystic Spinner will decide who goes first…
Killing Them Softly Directed by Andrew Dominik
Written by Andrew Dominik
Starring: Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta The Weinstein Company
Rated R | 97 Minutes
Release Date: November 30, 2012
Written and directed by Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Killing Them Softly is an adaptation of George V. Higgins‘ 1974 crime novel, Cogan’s Trade.
When South Boston low-lifes Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn) break into an illegal card game and steal the cash, they attract the attention of contract killer Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt).
The underground poker circuit is run by low-level mobster Markie Trattman (Ray Liotta), who becomes an immediate suspect because he robbed his own card game a few years back. The two thugs assume the blame will fall on Trattman, leaving them free from mob retaliation. As you might imagine, they assume wrong.
The South Boston mob sends a representative (Richard Jenkins) to sit down with Cogan to work out the details of Frankie and Russell’s demise, and what to do with Markie – who is living on borrowed time after his previous stunt.
Killing Them Softly is set in the months leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, where writer/director Andrew Dominik repeatedly hits us over the head with comparisons between a financial crisis, a corrupt political system, and the violent circumstances of Higgins’ crime-drama.
There is a stone cold presence that Michael Shannon brings whenever he appears on screen and he is going to live up to that when he plays has titular character in Ariel Vromen‘s The Iceman. Check out the first trailer for the film below.
This trailer isn’t for any one with a weak stomach, so if you are a bit squeamish when it comes to blood, then this isn’t for you. But for those who are brave to see brutal violence then you might want to check out this movie.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press