Archive for the ‘Rumour Mill’ Category

There is a rumour in the press that Michael Sheen is one amongst a few names being touted as a possible for playing troubled Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Other names being offered are Leonardo DiCaprio, Jude Law, and Chris Cooper. The front runners are Russell Crowe and Matt Damon, with the Bourne star being the bookies’ favourite.

Ever since Steven Spielberg purchased the rights to “WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War On Secrecy“, written by Guardian journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding, speculation has begun on who could play the titular part of the controversial Australian website creator.

The ‘long shots’ on the books include George Clooney, Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Kevin Spacey – with Charlie Sheen the 66-1 outsider.

What are your thoughts? Could you see Michael in this role?

Last summer, when Peter Morgan was brought in to write the script of the, as yet untitled, new Bond film (commonly referred to as Bond23) rumours abound the internet that Michael Sheen would be given a part in this film due to their close working relationship in the past. This was never confirmed, and even denied by Michael Sheen.

Shortly after Morgan completed the first draft, the whole Bond franchise was ensnared in financial difficulties while its owners, MGM, were heading for bankruptcy.  The new owners of MGM, along with Bond producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, confirmed last night that 007 will be back on 9 November 2012 and starring Daniel Craig. Production is set to begin at the end of this year.

This has, of course, caused a resurgence in the “Michael Sheen as Blofeld” rumours. This has been further fueled by a statement from producer Barbara Broccoli that Michael is a “perfect fit” for the role of the super-villain.

Back in the summer, I ran a poll on the site to see how you all felt about the possibility. It stood at 61% of voters feeling favourably about the idea. I have decided to re-instate the poll for any one who didnt vote last time, or for those who want to vote again. You can check it out on the right hand side of the main site.

Personally, I would kinda like the rumours to be true for once, though I am not sure how I feel about the thought of Michael appearing bald!

IMDB have updated Michael Sheen’s page to list The Codfather as a project he may be connected with. It is strictly in the rumour stages at the moment, but I will be keeping a close eye on this and of course, let you know if that status changes.

It does sound like a great project, and the sort of unusual thing that would appeal to Michael.  This is what IMDB has so far as the synopsis.

When five ordinary guys from a Welsh fishing village are offered the deal of a lifetime all hell breaks loose. The plot follows Barry and his friends as they smuggle drugs worth ten million pounds in cod

Other stars rumoured to appear in this are Val Kilmer, Vinnie Jones and Steve Coogan.

Deadline.com have revealed in one of their Cannes Film Festival reports that the 2011 Julia Roberts produced project “Jesus Henry Christ” is to star Michael Sheen and Toni Collette.

This is unconfirmed, as IMDB are not listing any cast members at present. I will keep my eyes peeled but for now will file this in the Rumour Mill.

The story revolves around Henry James Hermin, a boy conceived in a petri dish and raised by a loving feminist, decides to seek out his biological father.

I for one hope the rumour is true as Toni Collette is a fantastic actress. Remember, you heard it hear first.

It has been announced by Bloody Disgusting that Kate Beckinsale has indeed agreed to appear in Underworld 4. However, IMDB is still showing this as rumoured, and showing the same status is Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy, so we are keeping this in the Rumour Mill box at the moment.

The last time Michael was asked whether he will be in the next installment of this popular horror/fantasy franchise, he replied that he had heard it was being made, but that he had not been approached.

At this stage, the only things that we can confirm is that is will be in 3D, that Len Wiseman is announced as Executive Producer, and Kevin Grevioux (Raze) and John Hlavin as writers.

Hlavin says

“It will satisfy old fans and excite new audiences, meaning that we don’t want to redo the first three movies, so steps are being taken to honor what fans have loved but at the same time introduce fresh elements.”

It has an anticipated release date of January 2011, yet production has not started yet.

WalesOnline are reporting that X Factor star, Lucie Jones, has been for a screen test and may be cast in Michael’s upcoming project Submarine, which is to be set in Swansea.

The Bridgend singer has rumoured to have met with the casting director over a lead role, probably that of Jordana, the object of desire for the lead character Oliver.

Source: WalesOnline