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Smooth Criminals: The 25 Most Stylish Law-Breakers in Movie History.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of A Clockwork Orange, we’ve rounded up the sharpest-dressed crooks, killers, and authority-defying scoundrels to ever hit the big screen.

2. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), American Psycho
Patrick Bateman operates in a world overrun by douchey power suits and statement ties. It’s not saying much to be the best-dressed guy in that crew, but he’s more than that. He slays the competition by dressing the part of the finance bro in the best possible way: his contrast collars are crisp, his hair perfectly slicked back, his high-end suits expertly tailored. What’s more? The man expertly wields a badass accessory: an axe.—M.B.

Source: GQ

The actor is the first major Hollywood star to come aboard a major Chinese film, director Zhang Yimou’s forthcoming “Heroes of Nanking.”

Director Zhang Yimou’s Heroes of Nanking is unlike anything seen before from China. The $100 million period epic, the most expensive production in Chinese history, recounts how Japanese invaders massacred hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians in 1937. It’s the type of feature that normally would have very little audience beyond the Asian market. But there is nothing normal about Heroes of Nanking.

The shoot for Nanking began in January and wrapped this month, with recent Oscar winnerChristian Bale in the lead — the first major Hollywood star to come aboard a big Chinese release. In the film, Bale plays an American tasked with saving a mix of Chinese schoolgirls and local courtesans. About 40 percent of the dialogue will be in English.

The movie, produced by Zhang Weiping under his New Picture Film Co. banner with backing from a loan by Minsheng Bank, is clearly hoping Hollywood firepower will lure Western moviegoers to the multiplex in ways usually reserved for martial arts pictures such as Zhang’sHouse of Flying Daggers and Hero.

“Christian Bale is completely recognizable, and it will help excite people about the movie,” saysGlen Basner, CEO of FilmNation Entertainment, which is repping the film internationally. “But I think it goes far beyond just him. While he’s a great star, and while you have a world-renowned director, Nanking is much more relatable than movies that have come out of China in the past.”

Beyond the box office, the filmmakers have their sights on awards-season glory. In another first for a Chinese production, international PR will be handled by Los Angeles and London-based firm DDA, which has a long history working on Asian titles like the John Woo-produced Reign of Assassins. Add New York-based sales company FilmNation’s involvement, and Nanking begins to look like the type of East-West hybrid that could be a game-changer in the tenuous courtship between Hollywood and China.

“The growth in the Chinese market is undeniable,” says Dana Archer, senior vp at DDA. “The next step is for the Chinese to increase collaborations with Hollywood, and in turn for Hollywood to embrace the Chinese culture. I do see this as a model for future collaborations as we hope the industry will see the importance of having an international PR campaign and strategy in place early on.”

Indeed, as China continues to ignore the March 19 World Trade Organization deadline to open its movie distribution to outside countries (currently, China allows only 20 imports a year), executives and talent are finding more creative ways to work together through co-productions.

Among other such projects, DreamWorks recently sent animators to China to tailor Kung Fu Panda 2 to the Chinese market, and last year’s successful remake of The Karate Kid, which placed Jaden Smith at Chinese locations alongside Jackie Chan, was co-produced by Sony and the China Film Group.

Still, while MPA chair/CEO Chris Dodd chooses his words carefully when discussing China — in a June 13 keynote address at the Shanghai International Film Festival, he soft-pedaled complaints about the country’s refusal to adhere to the WTO ruling — it appears China is opening up to the West, albeit on its own terms.

For Bale and other A-list Hollywood talent, a movie like Nanking not only creates exposure in the soon-to-be second-biggest market in the world — China is poised to surpass Japan and is adding three to four screens a day to its stock of 6,200 — but also adds a deep-pocketed employer. If Bale’s movie, set to open in China on Dec. 16, succeeds, then China might be able to lure more stars overseas, offering money as well as a heightened international profile.

“I want everybody to see this film,” says Zhang, who communicated with Bale through a translator during filming. Zhang praises his leading man (now filming The Dark Knight Rises), speaking to what he hopes is the universality of a strong performance: “He’s such a professional, so good an actor, I often knew his meaning before the interpreter stopped.”
Source: Hollywood ReporterSource: Hollywood Reporter

Darren Aronofksy has approached Christian Bale to star in his planned $130m (£79m) retelling of the story of Noah’s ark, according to the Vulture blog.

The US director is currently shopping his ambitious epic fantasy around studios and has been attracting a degree of interest thanks to the success of his last film, Black Swan, which won an Oscar for Natalie Portman and wound up a worldwide box office smash, taking more than $300m despite a meagre $12m budget. Attracting Bale to the project would no doubt help him convince the Hollywood money men to back it: the Welsh-born actor has achieved both critical and commercial success over the past couple of years and even has a 2011 best supporting actor Oscar on his mantelpiece for David O Russell’s The Fighter.

Aronofsky’s project is currently being backed by Twentieth Century Fox offshoot New Regency, but its mammoth budget means the film-maker is courting another studio to come on board. Fox itself, Paramount and Summit are said to be interested.

The last notable film of the story of Noah to make it to cinemas came in 1928, though an animated film, Noah’s Ark: The New Beginning, is scheduled for release sometime this year. Elements of the fable were borrowed for 2007′s Evan Almighty, the poorly received follow-up to the 2003 Jim Carrey comedy Bruce Almighty.

The Noah story, which appears in both the Bible and the Qur’an, tells the tale of a man who is told by God to load two of every animal and a few members of his family on to an ark in order to survive the coming great deluge.

Source: Guardian UK

I’ve added two new outtakes of Christian Bale did for “Esquire” magazine a while back in year 2010.

GALLERY LINK:

• (x002) Photoshoots In 2010: Nigel Parry [Esquire]

While we rarely run rumors and primarily only publish confirmed news, this one has teeth: the first teaser trailer for “The Dark Knight Rises” might be attached to “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” in theatres.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” will hit theatres on July 15, 2011. “The Dark Knight Rises” is scheduled to release about a year later on July 20, 2012. Based on previous Warner Bros. marketing, releasing the first teaser trailer for “The Dark Knight Rises” as a year-before attachment to “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” would make sense. Also, an IMDb user has publicly posted the following:

I am a manager of a cinema. Today (May 22, 2011) we got a list of upcoming trailers delivered to us. “The Dark Knight Rises” teaser is listed to be with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” on July 15, 2011.

Users at SuperHeroHype are saying the same:

Updated listings at Regal have “The Dark Knight Rises” teaser attached to “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”. Having worked at a Regal for six years, their listings are usually pretty accurate.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” will release about exactly one year before “The Dark Knight Rises”. Going back in time, Ain’t It Cool News in May 2007 reported that the teaser trailer for “The Dark Knight” would appear before “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” which hit theatres on July 11, 2007.

“The Dark Knight” opened on July 18, 2008. With that news leaked, Warner Bros. switched gears and ended up attaching “The Dark Knight” teaser trailer to “The Simpson Movie,” which opened on July 27, 2007. The teaser trailer for “The Dark Knight” instantly leaked online.

We could also see a teaser for “The Dark Knight Rises” at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego, which runs from July 21 to July 24, 2011. In 2007, we saw “The Dark Knight” teaser at Comic-Con and the film opened a year later. So, we could see a teaser for “The Dark Knight Rises” at the 2011 Comic-Con, which would be a year before the film’s theatrical debut on July 20, 2012.

Another interesting rumor we’re closely following for “The Dark Knight Rises” is the possibility for Osterley Park to be filmed and transformed into Wayne Manor. Osterley Park is in Isleworth, which is a small town within the London borough of Hounslow in west London, England. A HollywoodChicago.com reader pointed out the following post on Osterley Park’s Web site:

This summer, we are taking the rare step to close Osterley House to the public for four days – on June 15, 16, 17 and 22, 2011 – for private hire.

In addition, we are closing some rooms of the house on a phased basis from May 19, 2011 to July 3, 2011. Please see this schedule for further details, or if you are planning a visit to Osterley, please call 020-8232-5050.

“The Dark Knight Rises” will again star Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Michael Caine as Alfred, Tom Hardy as Bane, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, Josh Pence as the young Ra’s al Ghul, Diego Klattenhoff as a rookie cop and Matt Modine as Nixon. The film also stars Juno Temple, Alon Aboutboul, Tom Conti and Joey King. Nestor Carbonell and Daniel Sunjata are currently rumored to be involved.

The film, which is again directed by Christopher Nolan, is scheduled for release on July 20, 2012. “The Dark Knight Rises” is written by David S. Goyer (story), Bob Kane (characters), Christopher Nolan (screenplay), Christopher Nolan (story) and Jonathan Nolan (screenplay) with original music from Hans Zimmer and cinematography by Wally Pfister. During filming, “The Dark Knight Rises” is going by the fake name “Magnus Rex”.

Source: Hollywood Chicago

Principal photography has begun on Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises,” the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar^® winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter”) again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar^® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake.

Returning to the main cast, Oscar^® winner Michael Caine (“The Cider House Rules”) plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar^® winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) reprises the role of Lucius Fox.

In helming “The Dark Knight Rises,” Christopher Nolan is utilizing IMAX^® cameras even more extensively than he did on “The Dark Knight,” which had marked the first time ever that a major feature film was partially shot with IMAX^® cameras. The results were so spectacular that the director wanted to expand the use of the large-format cameras for this film.

The screenplay for “The Dark Knight Rises” is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is being produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. “The Dark Knight” is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.

Behind the scenes, “The Dark Knight Rises” reunites the director with several of his longtime collaborators, all of whom worked together on the “The Dark Knight.” The creative team includes director of photography Wally Pfister, who recently won an Oscar^® for his work on Nolan’s “Inception”; production designer Nathan Crowley; editor Lee Smith; and Oscar^®-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“Topsy-Turvy”). In addition, Paul Franklin and Chris Corbould, who both won Oscars^® for the effects in “Inception,” will supervise the visual and special effects, respectively. The music will be composed by Oscar^® winner Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King”).

The locations for “The Dark Knight Rises” span three continents and include the American cities of Pittsburgh, New York and Los Angeles, as well as sites in India, England and Scotland.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures. Slated for release on July 20, 2012, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Source: Business Wire

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